Song of Change
by Shadowhawke Rose
Summary: Kagome is a young black wolf born in captivity, but her life changes when she is suddenly shipped out to the wild with no pack, and no idea of where she is. A creepy Alpha male named Naraku is determined to get her to join his pack, and marks her to keep her away from other wolves, but wait, who is this silver wolf? And what is the killing season everyone is talking about?
1. Chapter 1

|_Yep, it's one of THOSE fanfictions again~ This is Shadow here to tell you that I don't own Inuyasha (sadly) and that all characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, plot and storyline belongs to me, ta-ta till' next time! =^^= |_

Chapter one: song of change

Kagome was in a state of shock, actually, shock was putting it mildly, earlier this morning she had been relaxing and enjoying the early morning sun with her pack, and now she was in a cramped small crate being shipped off to lord-knows where. She gave out a yelp of indignation as the crate was jostled causing her paws to skid wildly on the hard metal surface.

Overall, the small black wolf was confused, angry and scared about her current predicament. She just couldn't understand how the humans that had practically raised her from puphood could have jabbed a tranquilizing needle into her rear and stuffed her mercilessly into a confining crate, it was just too much to comprehend! She raised a paw to scratch at the door of the crate, whining piteously. _Let me out!_ she yapped, _I want to go home now!_ But the men in the car calmly ignored her and continued driving down the bumpy road.

Kagome huffed angrily and sank to the bottom of the crate._ I just hope wherever they're taking me is big! Anything would be better than this crate! _She barked again, hoping the men had had a change of heart. They hadn't. Kagome put her muzzle on her front paws and sighed, _Today was NOT turning out to be a good day._

As the truck continued to roll down the bumpy dirt road, Kagome raised a paw to bat at an offensive beam of sun that had decided to shine right into her eyes. She blinked in irritation, she had been dreaming of a fat juicy hare that had practically almost _waltzed_ into her jaws, she blinked again and tried to adjust her eyes to the bright noonday sunlight. What she saw when her eyesight cleared left her speechless, the landscape that was flashing by was stunning, the early fall leaves on the trees were just beginning to turn crimson, staining the landscape a vivid orange color, and in the distance tall cliffs reached for the sky, wisps of clouds curling around their topmost peaks, concealing just how high up they reached. Kagome shook her head, and sat back on her haunches, awestruck. _T-this is beautiful! I've never seen anything like this before!_

The animal park where she had been raised was situated on the edge of a rocky mountain, perching precariously on the edge of a cliff. The only trees that grew there were dark small pine trees that latched into the ground, desperate for any nourishment that lurked in the rocky soil. She had lived there with her pack for as long as she could remember, never having to hunt or fear for her life, the humans protected and cared for her and her family, which made their current behaviour even more puzzling, she had never seen them act this way, and she wasn't sure that she liked it.

She shook her head again, trying to drive all suspicious thoughts from her head; _The humans are my friends, they would never harm me!_ She turned her head back to the stunning landscape that was flashing by, her eyes widened as they passed a small lake, flocks of ducks and geese taking flight as the truck rolled by, and landing again when the car had gone a safe distance. Kagome tilted her head, she had never seen creatures like this before, this was all so new and strange to her and she had no idea how to react. She experimentally barked at the birds, causing them to momentarily flutter into the air, she laughed, and tried again, but much to her disappointment, the birds just gave her an angry stare and resumed their earlier activities.

As the hours passed, Kagome stood at the door of her crate, her tail wagging wildly at the scenery that passed, her blue-grey eyes bright with excitement. So when she felt the car slowly coming to a halt, she barked in excitement and scratched at the door of her crate vigorously. The car doors slammed shut, and she heard the heavy footsteps of the men who had driven her here. She squealed in protest when the men picked her crate up, causing her to lose her footing. She barked angrily from inside the cate, _Watch what you're doing you half-brained twits! That hurt!_ her insults obviously had no effect on the men as they continued carrying her crate along a small forest trail.

"Can't wait till' hunting season comes along again Albert..." One of the men had struck up a conversation with his partner, Kagome pricked up her ears and tried to listen;

"You got that right Jeff, when winter comes around this pretty little thing'll be legal game!" 'Albert' tapped the side of her crate as he spoke. "Her pelt would fetch a pretty penny..."

Jeff chuckled in amusement, "Yeah, but what about the packs that live up here? No one's been able to trap so much as a single wolf since that mutt showed up, just catching one would pay for a months worth of rent!"

"You mean the white half-breed? I've hear that he's been causing trouble for the hunters out here."

"Yep, that dog's been a real problem, ever since he took over the pack, we haven't been able to snag a a single wolf. He's smarter than you think Albert, the local hunters say that when they're hunting wolf, it seems more like they're the ones being hunted."

Albert laughed and gave Jeff a good-natured punch on the shoulder, jostling the crate again, earning more insults from the irate she-wolf within. _You worthless heaps of pink flesh and blubber! Stop jostling me around, I'm fragile cargo!_ She hissed, _I should have NEVER let them stab me in the butt with that sharp thing! If I hadn't I'd still be back at home eating with Sota, Mom and gramps right now!_

"Stop being so superstitious Jeff, he's just a dumb animal, he can't think!"

_You disgusting son-of-a-coyote! Dumb animal my ass! Just let me out of this crate and I'll show you just how dumb we wolves are!_ Kagome was furious now, and had started growling her displeasure. Finally the crate stopped jiggling and Kagome felt that she was on the ground again.She heard the men stretch and crack their knuckles, and a strange feeling of pent up excitement and suspence caused her fur to bristle slightly. _Why are we here?_ She asked the men,_ Is this a new place with new people?_ She wagged her tail, pawing at the crate door again, whining slightly.

Jeff laughed, "Calm down girl, we're there now, you're gonna be free in just a sec..." She heard some rustling and clanking as the two men fiddled with her crate.

"Hope you survive out here, I wouldn't want to miss out on the chance to hunt you come winter, I've got a feeling you'd give us a pretty good run bitch!" Albert laughed loudly and was soon joined by Jeff. Kagome flattened her ears, she had the feeling that the men were laughing at her, and she didn't like it._ Just let me out and THEN we'll see if you're still laughing_! She growled in the back of her throat, these men weren't people she knew, and she didn't like them.

She heard something rattle, the men shuffled their feet as they each grabbed a latch. "On the count of three... Two... You ready Albert? ONE!"

The door to the crate slid open, and acting on instinct alone, Kagome bolted out, tail between her legs as she raced away from the two men and the crate. Suddenly, she stopped, her brain starting to work again, what was she _doing_? Why was she running? She shook her head in disgust and began to trot back to where the two men were standing, but they were gone! She immediatly began to circle the area, whining slightly; _Where are you?_ _Why did you leave?_

She heard leaves crunch behind her, and she whirled around, hoping that it was the two men, her tail was wagging, but it wasn't a them, it wasn't even a human, it was another wolf.

By the way the stranger wolf held itself it was obviously a dominant alpha. It, no _he _was a large dark male wolf, he was black with a dark brown face and stripe down his back, his eyes glinted a dangerous red, a color that Kagome was now very sure that she _didn't _like. As Kagome tucked her tail between her legs, the other wolf , much to her displeasure, came closer. As he approached her, Kagome got a good whiff of his scent, and nearly gagged, he reeked of carrion and death, Kagome backed away, her tail still firmly tucked between her legs. She bared her fangs and growled at him, _Leave me alone. _When he continued his slow advance, she growled again, _I-I mean it! L-leave me alone!_

_Feisty little female, I'm not here to hurt you, merely to give a warning, you are in my territory_. At this, he flashed long, lethal looking fangs. _No rogues are tolerated in my pack or my territory, so you could consider this an invitation of sorts..._ She shivered at his voice, it was oily and menacing. _Normally I don't do this, but I can see that you are a strong young female, and our pack needs new bodies._ He licked his lips hungrily as he began to circle her. Kagome tried to back away, ears flattened against her head. _N-no thank you..._

He ignored her and continued talking; _I am Naraku, ruler of the marshes and lakeshore, I am the alpha male of my pack._ Kagome shuddered, he was _disgusting__! _He continued to circle her, his tail waving lazily. _Now, please consider your answer _carefully _I am very persistant, and I want you in my pack. _Kagome whined, she knew that this wolf was capable of fatally wounding or killing her, but she was repulsed by the idea of spending her life ruled by _him._

Bracing her shaking legs, Kagome raised her head, fangs bared. _I decline your offer, I wish to remain rogue!_ Naraku chuckled, as if he had anticipated her answer. _You truly are a hot-blooded one, now I want you in my pack even more._ His red eyes gleamed as he came closer. She growled at him, hoping that he wouldn't hear the tremble in her voice, he did. _Your growl would be more menacing if your voice wasn't trembling..._ He chuckled,_ You amuse me, so I shall give you a choice on the matter, you may join my pack now, or you will have until the killing season comes to decide..._

Kagome didn't pause to think, all she wanted to do was get _away_! _I choose the second option!_ Her voice trembled, but she managed to stand her ground. Instinctively, she knew that this was not a wolf you could turn your back to. Naraku blinked once, his red eyes gleaming. _Very well, but know this, you will be mine. No matter where you go or what you do, you will belong to me._ Kagome backed away from him, tail darting between her trembling legs. Naraku licked his lips, _So I can't have any other pack taking you away now can I? _At his last words, he leapt towards her, jaws open and latched onto her.

Kagome gave a short howl of agony, Naraku had clamped down on her right hind leg, teeth tearing through muscle, flesh and bone. When he let go, she stumbled away from him, carefully keeping her weight off of her mangled paw._ Now let's see how far you get little female... I look forward to seeing you, come killing season._ As his body disappeared into the brush, the last thing she saw was his gleaming, red eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello again! It's been two days *legasp* thank you so much for the lovely reviews~ They inspire me and keep me going, I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Song of Change...! _

Chapter 2 ; A white furred jerk

As Kagome limped through the rapidly darkening forest, she cursed Narakus name for the hundredth time that hour; _That mangy flea-bitten-carrion-eating coyote dog! I can't believe he did that!_ Though she didn't want to admit it, she was scared of him. The way his red eyes had bored into her like that... She shuddered. _Kami he's gross_...

All thoughts of Naraku aside, her leg hurt. A lot. She mumbled another curse and plopped down onto the leafy forest floor. _I wish I was back home... I wonder what my family is doing now?_ She closed her stormy grey-blue eyes and tried to imagine what her beloved pack was doing... Her little brother Sota would probably be playing chase with the cat, Buyo, that normally slunk into the pen to keep the pack company at night, and her mother would be worriedly pacing the fencline, desperately checking for any signs of her lost daughter. And her grandpa, he'd be digging up some old elk bone that had been 'passed down through generations' to try to lure her back. _I miss them already..._

Kagome sighed again, and stared up at the stars, searching for an answer that she knew she wouldn't find. She tried to get up, forgetting her wounded leg in the process. She cursed loudly again, flopping to the ground. _And what will I do with you...?_ She adressed her throbbing leg, not caring if anyone was watching her. She talked to her leg, so what? It hurt. _I can't go anywhere like this! I'm going to die of boredom!_ She stretched out her front legs, digging her blunt claws into the damp forest floor. She stared at her wounded leg and growled.

_First things first, I need to clean myself up._ She propped herself onto her three good legs, and began to lick at her tender leg, it hurt more than she thought it would, but it numbed after a while. She stopped her attentions and grimaced, the taste of her own blood on her tongue was enough to make her gag. _Secondly, I need a place to stay the night!_ She gingerly stood, putting all her weight onto her three legs. _I just need to find a good rock and I'll be fine!_ Used to her pampered life, the woefully clueless Kagome had no idea that finding a 'rock' that wasn't already occupied would be more dificult than she thought.

After several minutes of 'searching' (limping around in a wobbly line) Kagome finally found the rock that she'd been looking for; it was a relatively large overhanging rock that nicely concealed the entrance to a small den, cushioned by soft moss. Letting out a sigh of relief, the small black wolf all but ran into the den and collapsed onto the soft ground.

Closing her eyes, she let out a relieved sigh, only to open her eyes when a soft, angry growl sounded behind her. She jumped up stiff legged, her fur nearly standing on end. The growl sounded again, this time sounding less curious and more agressive. She slowly turned around, trying her best to grin nervously. It was a badger. Smaller than she was, but angry as hell and out for vengeance.

The badger glared at the small she-wolf through narrow beady black eyes. Here he had been minding his own buisiness, trying to fall asleep when an arrogant young wolf rushed in acting like she owned the place. Seriously, _what_ was the problem with young ones these days? Today hadn't been a good day. His mate had left him, claiming that his den was too small, and it was time for her to 'upgrade'. So he would now take out all of his frustrations on the wolf.

As the badger lumbered closer, Kagome flattened her ears against her skull, _E-eh, I'm sorry..? I didn't mean to intrude... I didn't know that someone lived here!_ The badger only narrowed his eyes and continued to slowly advance forward. Kagome began backing away slowly, _U-um... I-I think it's time for me to go, thank you for your er... hospitality?_ Clearly the badger had had enough, and lunged at her. She yelped in surprise and began to lope unsteadily, unbalanced by her wounded leg. She let out a panicked howl; _I'm sorreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!_

Not too far away from where the unhappy she-wolf was located, an angry pair of golden eyes slowly blinked open. _Damn... I can't even get to sleep without some-damn-thing waking me up?!_ Long silvery-white limbs stretched out from the darkness of a den, and then retreated back into the den as the wolf finished his stretching. A high pitched yelp sounded again, and the wolf growled. _Damn coyotes, can't even let a wolf get some sleep around here! _ The wolf stretched again and then slowly eased himself out of his den.

He eyed his surroundings suspiciously, his golden eyes raking across the dark forest, searching for any sign of the annoyance. He found it when another wail was heard; _I said I was sorreeeee!_ His ears pricked up in surprise, another wolf.

_Inuyasha!_ He turned around, it was his beta, Miroku. _Want me to take care of it?_ Inuyasha shook his head; _Nah, I got a bone to pick with that wolf now, it woke me up. _Miroku rolled his eyes. _Heaven forbid, it interrupted your beauty sleep._ Inuyasha eyed his beta angrily, _Watch it wolf, or your tail might end up a few inches shorter._ Miroku rolled his eyes again and retreated into a small cave, hidden behind a small waterfall. Inuyasha watched him go, _Don't do anything dirty to Sango or Ayame while I'm gone Miroku!_ He heard a guilty yelp, and the sound of paws moving away after he spoke. _Damn letch..._

He glanced back at the den again and began to pick his way down the rocky slope, towards where he had last heard the intruding wolf. He picked up the smell of badger, and another scent... The scent of ginger and honeysuckle. He followed the scent, into the forest and... was promptly knocked over by the owner of the smell.

_Watch it fleabag!_ He growled as the wolf stood and began to shake itelf off. _I could say the same to you albino! _He jerked at her higher pitched voice, a female! She stared at him accusingly with icy cold blue-grey eyes as he stood still. Then, the sound of breaking branches snapped him out of his trance. The she-wolf yelped,_ SHIT! He found me!_ She tried to scurry away, and the sharp tang of blood hit his sensitive nose. He shot a glance back at her, and was shocked to see her bloody hind leg. _What are you looking at whitey?_ He growled back at her, _You, what else runt? I find you just barging into my territory and I don't have the right to growl at you?_ She stood up and shook herself, and Inuyasha lost his ability to speak. She was small and black, with a white patch of fur on her chest, distinguishing her from the inky forest.

He turned his back to her and growled. _You smell disgusting._

This was not turning out to be a good day for Kagome. First, she had been dumped out in the middle of nowhere by two moronic humans, then she had been attacked by the slimiest, most disgusting wolf she had ever seen, and when she had tried to find shelter she had been driven out by a cranky old badger who clearly had no life. Then this arrogant, stupid, half-witted white furred asshole had insulted her to her face!

_Listen jerk, I don't care what you think of me, and the reason I smell disgusting is because of a freaky wolf named Naraku. Now I don't know HOW I got into your territory, and I don't know WHY you're insulting me, or what you have against me, but could you please be a friendly soul and BUG OFF YOU ASSHOLE!_

The white wolf turned to her, and rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed by her little speech. _Asshole? Feh. You're in no state to be insulting me wench; you look half dead! _Kagome bristled _UGH! You really are an asshole! Now if you'd excuse me I have to-!_

The white wolf had stepped in front of her, blocking her path. _Listen,_ he growled, _If you have anything to do with Naraku, I'll kill you on the spot._ Kagome paused, _Why?_ His eyes narrowed. _That mangy excuse for a wolf has killed or taken several of my pack members, and has seriously injured others. I'll kill him someday, when he gathers up the courage to crawl out of that muck he calls a den._

Kagome straightened up, her tail bristling. _I have nothing to do with Naraku, I just came here today, and he... Attacked me and bit my hind leg. I don't want any trouble with you or your pack, so please let me go._ Hating her life, Kagome rolled over onto her back submissively; arguing with this wolf was getting her nowhere. Then, as she was lying on her back, loud snaps and cracks were heard behind her. _SHIT!_ She rolled over onto her stomach, and tried to get up, but her injured leg wouldn't support her._ Shit..._ She flopped over onto her side, exhausted by her efforts.

Kagome twisted herself into a semi-sitting position to watch the angry badger come crashing through a bush. As a last resort, she bared her fangs and growled halfheartedly at him. Then, a white figure stepped in front of her, bared his fangs and snarled at the badger, his hackles raised. _Get lost geezer, or do you want more scars to go with the ones you already have?_ The badger paused, its small beady eyes glaring at the white wolf. The male growled again, this time taking a step forward. The old badger hissed, and spat at Kagome and slowly lumbered off.

The small she-wolf sighed heavily, her head was spinning from thirst and loss of blood. The last thing she saw before she passed out, was the brightness of the moon, and a pair of shining golden eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I really love to read them, and thank you for all the lovely ideas guys! ^^ They really help me out!_

SONG of change chapter 3: Explaining things...

_Well this was... Unexpected..._ Inuyasha stared down at the unconcious young she-wolf at his paws. _She... Passed out?_ He prodded her with a white paw, _Hey... You... Alive?_ She didn't move. _Ah hell..._ He sat down on his haunches, scratching at his ear with his hind leg.

He regarded her with golden eyes, she was small and slender, probably built for running. Her inky black pelt blended with the forest floor, making her nearly invisible. Inuyasha sniffed her again, not recognizing her unique scent. _Where did she come from?_ She didn't smell like any pack he knew, besides Naraku. He growled again; _Damn bastard... Ruining my pack..._ He regarded her hind leg, she couldn't get far on that, Naraku had made sure of that. He sighed again, and grabbed her by the neck. _If I must, I must..._

_W-where am I?_ Kagome blinked, the bright sunlight disorienting her. Wait, sunlight? The last thing she remembered seein was the icy moon, and bright golden eyes... _WAAAHHHH!_ Kagome sprang up quickly, temporarily forgetting the pain in her hind leg. She promptly smashed her skull into that of another wolf.

_Owwwww..._ She rolled over onto her side, groaning in agony. The other wolf sat up with some difficulty, and regarded her with dazed brown eyes. Kagome immediately perked up and sat up straight, staring at the stranger wolf. She was a reddish-brown she-wolf with warm brown eyes, She shook herself off and stood up, exposing a vicious scar on her back. Kagome involuntarily gasped; how could she have survived a blow like that?

The she-wolf seemed to take no notice of her staring and introduced herself: _Hello! My name is Sango, what's your name?_ Kagome was still staring. Sango coughed slightly, bringing Kagome out of her daze, _My name is Kagome, where am I?_ Then soft pawsteps sounded behind her; _In my territory, inside the pack den. Where else?_

Kagome whirled around with a gasp. _You! _The white wolf regarded her in annoyance, _Yes, __me.__ The one who saved your sorry ass last night from a grumpy old badger,and dragged your half dead body all the way back to my den?(And made a hell of a fuss about it... _Remarked a dark brown wolf in the corner, earning himself a glare from the white wolf)_ Yes. ME._

The small she-wolf bristled, _You're that rude asshole from last night! I could have handled myself fine without YOU butting in! _The alpha male growled, _Liar! You were half dead! You wouldn't have survived the night without my help!_

Sensing an oncoming fight, Sango butted in; _Seeing as Kagome won't be able to go anywhere for the next couple of weeks, I'll show her around the den, and Inuyasha, don't be an ass please..._ Inuyasha sighed angrily, and stalked over to the dark brown wolf, and began to tear at a deer carcass. Kagome cheekily stuck her tongue out at him behind his back. Sango laughed, and nudged Kagome from behind. _Come on, I'll show you around._ Kagome heaved herself to her paws, taking care not to put any weight on her injured paws, and followed the reddish-brown female.

_This is where we keep our kills, and eat them. _Sango led her to a small dip in the cave floor, where Inuyasha was currently burying his face into the bloody carcass. _Though some of us have better manners than others..._ She commented, sending a dark look in Inuyashas' direction. _I hearf dat!_ Came the muffled reply from somewhere inside the heap of meat. _Good! I hope you took the hint! _ Kagome laughed as Inuyasha made the mistake of snorting, and accidentally inhaled some meat. Sango glared at the coughing alpha, _He deserved it..._ Kagome laughed again, finding that she was coming to like the she-wolf more with every passing minute.

Sango padded along the dirt floor, heading towards the back of the den where a very light-brown female was resting in the cool shade. _This is Ayame, Ayame meet Kagome. Inuyasha found her last night being attacked by a badger. _Kagome coughed quietly to hide her embarrassment, it seemed that not being able to hold her own against a badger was considered weak. Ayame eyed her wounded leg, and commented dryly; _I don't blame her for passing out with a wound like that... _Kagome shifted her hind leg, wincing as it stung lightly. _It wasn't the badger that did this..._ Sango pricked her ears in surprise, _It wasn't? _Remembering Inuyashas' words from the previous night, Kagome figured that mentioning Naraku wasn't a good idea. _It... Just sort of happened..._ Ayame eyed her in suspicion, and Sango seemed like she was about to say something, when a silky smooth voice broke in before she could say anything; _Hello there miss, could you honor me with your name?_

Kagome looked up at the newcomer, he was the dark brown wolf who she had seen with Inuyasha earlier. _Kagome, nice to meet you! _The brown wolf smiled down at her, his brown eyes shining. _My name is Miroku, would somone as beautiful as you do me a favor?_ He seemed friendly enough... _Depends on what the favor is...? _ Miroku's smile widened, _Would you bear myyyaaAAAAAHHHHGG! _Sango had bitten down on his ear, and showed no signs of letting go. _You disgusting letch! You couldn't wait one day could you?!_ Miroku whined painfully. _You know my heart belongs to you my dearest Sangoo~ I was merely asking!_

Sango reluctantly released Miroku, after giving him a dirty glare, and whisked Kagome away. _Damned letch..._ Kagome stared quizzically at the red-brown female, _What was the favor that he was going to ask of me?_ Sango sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. _He was going to ask you to bear his pups, he does that to every attractive thing on four legs._ The smaller she wolf cringed in disgust, _Gross!_ Sango shot her a look that clearly said; tell-me-about-it, and continued to show Kagome around the den.

By the time Sango had finished her tour, Kagome was exhausted, and her leg was starting to hurt again. She eyed the patch of dirt where she had slept earlier with distaste, it had been rocky and uncomfortable. With a resigned sigh, she began to limp over to the dirt patch, until Sango padded up to her, tail wagging. _That patch of dirt doesn't look too inviting, if you want, there's some space in my den, if you'd like to share that is...? _Kagome blinked in surprise, _I'd love to Sango, thanks a ton!_ Sango smiled, and led her to a den that was dug into the side of the cave walls, and slipped in through the hole, Kagome close on her heels. It was a large, spacious den, and the floor was covered in cushy-looking moss. She noticed several pawmarks and shuffle marks, and noticed that there was a second patch of moss that didn't seem to belong. _**She put it there for me!**_ Kagome was taken aback by this sudden show of friendship, and wagged her tail in delight.

_Thank you Sango, I don't know what to say!_ Sango smiled and curled up on her patch of moss, blinking in appreciation. Kagome wagged her tail again, and plopped down on her new bed. Sango eyed her new friend, _Hey Kagome?_ Said wolf opened her blue eyes, blinking tiredly. _Yeah Sango?_ She yawned and shook hersel fslightly. _Don't mind Inuyasha, him being an ass just shows that he cares. He's not as mean as he looks, underneath all that arrogance, he's just a soft hearted puppy. _Kagome snorted in disbelief, but chose not to say anything. She stretched slowly, and curled up in her new den. _Good night Sango..._

_ Good night Kagome..._


	4. Chapter 4

Song of change chapter 4: Food

_Hello again~! I hope this chapter is satisfactory, and I tried my best to leave a little cliffy, but as usual, I failed. Epically. So enjoy my spectacular fail called Song of Change!_

A loud growl caused Kagome to prick her ears up, and raise her head up drowsily. It had been three days since she had arrived at Inuyashas' den, and she didn't like the jerk anymore than she did when she had first arrived; he was still an asshole, he was still rude, and he still thought that she stank. The growl sounded again, and Kagome glanced towards her den-mate, Sango. The brown she wolf put her ears down apologetically, and grinned. _Sorry Kagome, it's been a while since we've eaten, and I think all of us are hungry._ Kagome bobbed her head, grinning as she did so; _Food sounds nice right about now..._

_Then get your lazy asses out of bed and go get some! _A white head popped into their den, glaring at them. _Shut up Inu._ Sango growled, covering her ears with her paws, _It's still too early for me to take your bullshit._ Kagome shook her head and stretched, making sure that her tail whacked Inuyasha across the face as she did so. _Hey! Watch it wench!_ She blinked her blue eyes at the Alpha male innocently, _What did I do? _He just gave her an irritated growl and stalked off.

Sango groaned and rolled over onto her back, _Can't he give it a rest?_ Kagome smiled and shook her head, _Nah, without him sticking his arrogant face in here, you'd be sleeping all day! _Sango gave her a _look _and slowly stood up._ Well, it wouldn't kill him to let us sleep in once!_ Her stomach growled again, and she wagged her tail. _But now that I'm up, let's go get some food!_ She squeezed herself out of the den, and vanished from view, leaving a bewildered Kagome behind. _One minute she's complaining, and the next she's raring to go..._ Smiling, the black wolf followed her friend out of the den.

Before she had set one paw outside of their shared den, she heard a yelp of pain and a yell of _YOU LETCH!_ Kagome trotted over to the scence of the attempted assault, and found the usual scene of Sango clamped onto one of Miroku's ears, while the male was making hasty apologies, all while declaring his love for Sango. Ayame appeared behind Kagome, _He had it coming..._ Kagome nodded in agreement, _I would have done the same!_ Sango finally released the hapless Miroku, and stalked over to Inuyasha. _So?! Do we or do we not have food?!_ Inuyasha seemed to sway slightly._ Uh-uhmmmm..._ Kagome joined Sango, glaring at the white wolf in distaste, _You know what? I think Inuyasha got hungry last night... _ Sango seemed to know where Kagome was headed, and joined in; _And you ate all the FOOD! Just because of that, we're gonna have to hunt again!_

Inuyasha wilted under the combined glares of the angry pack,_ Eh-heh..._ Kagome however, wasn't glaring. She was too busy freaking out. _**Hunt? I've never hunted before! What will they think of me when they find out?!**_ Sango noticed that the small black wolf was staring into space, glassy eyed, and waved a paw in front of her face. _Hello? Earth to Kagome? _Kagome snapped back into reality, and turned towards Sango. _Hmmne, What? You called?_ Sango rolled her eyes and sighed. _I can't believe we have to hunt AGAIN. We brought down a deer just four days ago! _Kagome nodded her agreement, wishing that she could crawl into a hole and disappear. _Umn, Sango? I don't think I can run yet..._ Kagome held out her injured leg, for good measure, putting on a sad expression.

Sango regarded her leg with some concern. _Kagome, you're gonna have to keep an eye on that, make sure that it doesn't get infected..._ The black wolf nodded and sat down. _So while you guys are hunting should I stay here...?_ Before Sango could answer, Inuyasha broke in; _No, you ate just as much as the rest of us, you're hunting too, hurt leg or no hurt leg. _Kagome jerked in surprise, _**Kami damn his timing!**_ But she wasn't going down without a fight. She stood up, and squared her shoulders, bracing herself for a long arguement.

(one hour later)

_How did I get here again? _Sango gave Kagome an exhasperated glance, _By being a wuss and caving in to our stupid Alpha. _Kagome whined again, and her ears drooped. After a long fight with Inuyasha, that at some point transitioned from being about Kagome going on the hunt, to how Inuyasha was an asshole. Luckily, thanks to a vigilant Sango and Miroku, no casualities had occured. Yet. Kagome was pretty sure that she'd go insane if she was stuck with that arrogant _dog_ for much longer. _Cheer up Kagome, you'll feel better once you've eaten something..._ Kagome sighed, it wasn't that she was hungry, it was just the fact that she'd lost an arguement with _him_. And that bothered her. More than she was willing to admit. _Yeah, I guess so..._

_**Inu**_

Inuyasha on the other hand, was practically_ glowing_. Hah! He couldn't help glancing back at the black she-wolf in pride. She actually made a good point, halfway through the arguement, he actually felt apologetic, then, he had come to his senses and continued his rant. But when all was said and done, he had gotten her to come, and that in itself was an victory. He snorted, _**I swear, that wolf is part badger...**_ She was the most stubborn thing he'd come across since that squirrel... He shuddered at the memory, he had learned his lesson; never bother an angry squirrel. _Keepin' up OK back there wench?_ He felt her resentment pouring off of her in waves. _I'm just fine Albino._ Albino? Was that the best she could do? _If you have enough energy to argue with me, your leg can't hurt that much..._ If looks could kill, he'd be long dead.

Just as she was about to retort with an insult, Inuyasha stopped, and sniffed the air, _Guys, I smell deer._ Sango rolled her eyes, and Miroku drooled. Kagome however, seemed to shrink, and blend in with the scenery. _**What's up with her..? **_Deciding to ignore the unecessary complication in his life named Kagome, Inuyasha began to bark orders at his pack. Just because he said it, didn't mean they'd do it, but it felt good to act like he was in charge.

Their target? An old buck, on his last legs, He'd just barely survived the winter, and at the end of summer was still trying to tag on to his old herd. His head hung low, and his ribs showed, despite the abundance of food. He wouldn't be an easy kill, but he wouldn't be a hard kill either.

And as usual, before he could open his mouth, Sango was lunging at the throat, and Miroku had grabbed onto a leg. Not wanting to be left out, Inuyasha dashed into the clearing, and made a leap for the jugular, but was beaten by Kagome. The small black wolf seemed to hang on for dear life, but didn't let go. As his two packmates nipped and jabbed at the nimble deer legs, Inuyasha took a chunk out of the stomach, his pride dented.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the deer came down. The wolves seemed a bit ragged around the edges, but there were no serious injuries; Inuyasha had been stepped on, Sango had been kicked, Miroku had been bitted by Sango, and Kagome had been smacked into a tree. But the deer was dead, and that was that.

As Inuyasha slunk towards the kill, he heard a triumphant Kagome exclaim; _So, I'm not that worthless after all! _ Inuyasha growled at her, and began to tear into the deer. To his horror, the small black wolf appeared next to him and began to poke at him with her front paw. _So? So? How did I do?_ Inuyasha gave her a _look_, and resumed eating. Kagome let out a huff, and sat down.

Then, a familiar, disgusting stench hit Inuyasha's sensitive nose. _Oh Kami... Not him!_


	5. Poll!

_Hello! Don't get excited please, this is Shadow, I'm here to take a poll, I would like to know who you want to show up on the scene of the kill, Naraku, Koga, Sesshomaru or some other random enemy that has appeared in the Inuyasha anime/manga. I will place the character that gets the most votes in the story, and will write accordingly._

_Thanks~ Shadow_


	6. Chapter 5

_Poll results are in! Enjoy chapter 5~ This is Shadow signing off!_

Song of Change chapter 5: Rivalry

With her pride bruised, Kagome decided to ignore Inuyasha, and turned to Sango and Miroku. _What's up with him?_ Sango opened her mouth to explain, but Miroku beat her to it; _Just ignore him, once he warms up to someone, he becomes nicer…. Normally. _ Kagome sighed. _Yeah…. Uh, thanks…_ Seeing Kagome's confusion, Sango padded over to the young she-wolf. _Hey, don't worry about it. Just give him some time, and he'll come around. _She narrowed her brown eyes, _And if he doesn't…_

Kagome shuddered at the change in her friend, and quickly rushed to Inuyasha's defense. Sure, she hated the guy, but he didn't deserve to be mangled… _Ah, um, that's OK Sango, if he doesn't like me, I can leave…._ And go back to Naraku? Hell no. But if it came to that, she'd find a way. Hopefully. Sango put her ears down and sighed. _I know Kagome, it's just that you're the first friendly wolf that's come into our pack since Ayame, and she's desperate to leave! _

Kagome looked at Sango in surprise, _Leave? Why would Ayame want to leave?_ Sango seemed to regain some of her former vigor and rolled her eyes. _Oh, right, I didn't tell you about Ayame? _ Kagome shook her head, and sensing an oncoming story, sat back on her haunches with her tail wagging. _Oh, well, Ayame says that she comes from a prominent pack from somewhere over the mountain, apparently they sent her our region to look for a suitable mate. Somehow, she ended up in our territory, and she joined our pack willingly. _Kagome nodded, that was understandable. _But then one day when we were patrolling the border, she met HIM. _ Kagome nodded again, eyes wide. _Him?_ Sango dropped her voice to a whisper, _Yes, HIM._ Beginning to get confused, Kagome asked; _Who is he?_

Sango gave Inuyasha a glance, and replied; _He's Inuyasha's rival, and Ayame's head over heels for him. _ That explained WHAT he was, but not WHO he was. _But what's his name?_ Sango gave a small laugh, _His name is—_

Suddenly, Inuyasha bristled and growled out a name; _Koga. _Instantly, Sango stood up, _Come on! I was just making it dramatic, no need to butt in like that!_ Inuyasha gave her a _look_ and turned back around, his hackles raised. _No! I wasn't trying to interrupt your lame-ass story, he's HERE._ Sango sat back down. _Oh. Is that all?_

Inuyasha practically keeled over. _Is that ALL? It's a big deal! Every time that piece of shit shows his face in my turf, he insults me! _ Miroku, who still had his face buried in the meat, snorted, _Heaven forbid._ Inuyasha snarled loudly. _Kami damn it! Don't you guys get it?! I hate the guy!_

Kagome stood up, _And? He insults you, so do I. I don't see you snarling every time you see me!_ Inuyasha glared at her, _We're rival Alpha males, if he could, that mangy wolf would steal my territory, and my kills. I would bet my fangs that that's why he's here!_

Sango and Kagome shared an understanding look, and summed the whole predicament up in one word: _Males._

Inuyasha had apparently stopped listening, and now stood stiffly with his tail in the air. _Come on out you mangy bastard, I can smell your stench from a mile off!_

Kagome looked up in interest as Inuyasha growled at the forest. She lifted her muzzle into the air and gave a good sniff. She frowned; she couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary, the damp forest, the kill, and….Oh. _**That must be what he's talking about.**_ Wafting from the forest came a new wolf-scent, musky and windswept. Kagome furrowed her brows, _**He doesn't stink!**_

Sango, who had continued eating, looked up as Miroku came trotting over. _Ladies~(Ow! Sango, I was just saying hi!) Prepare for our almighty Alpha to get even more aggressive than he is right now!_ Kagome's eyes widened, _Is that even possible?_ Miroku looked over at the bristling Alpha in amusement, _Definitely. _

Then, Inuyasha stiffened, and gave a long, angry snarl. From the forest, an answering laugh rang out, _Mutt face!_ Inuyasha's golden eyes narrowed, _Wolf shit!_ A large figure materialized out of the forest gloom, _Damn muttface! You that glad to see me?_ Inuyasha flattened his ears; _Yeah, this time, I'm gonna kill you!_ The other wolf, Koga, laughed. _In your doggy dreams!_

From a short distance away, Kagome watched the two wolves argue, they fought like cats and dogs. Actually, the more she watched, the funnier it seemed. When she imagined two alpha males fighting, she saw flashing fangs and flying fur, not the rapid exchange of insults that was occurring in front of her.

_Your father was a coyote and your mother was a pug! _Koga widened his eyes; _You're getting more creative with your insults mutt, that one almost stung._

Inuyasha seemed to swell up, _Thanks; I have a good test subject!_ Koga chuckled, _Who me? I'm flattered._ _But, unlike you, it doesn't take four to five minutes for me to think of a comeback._

Steam was practically coming out of Inuyasha's ears at this point, Kagome began to worry that he might explode if pushed much further. _OK, enough of the insults, why are you here wolf shit?_

Koga yawned widely, _I got bored, I figured that if I taunted you a bit, you'd get angry and I could have some fun insulting you._

The white alpha lunged, tackling Koga to the ground. _Having fun now Koga?_ Said wolf laughed, exposing sharp looking fangs. _Yes, and it's about to get a whole lot more fun._ The brown wolf shimmied out from under Inuyasha, and whirled around to face him, teeth bared.

Kagome put her ears back, _Miroku, do they always do this?_ Miroku, who had gone back to stuffing his face, looked up. _Mhmm. First they insult each other, then they fight, and one of them gets offended and takes something from the other._

The black wolf turned away from the two snapping males. _Takes something? Like what?_ Miroku rolled his eyes, _Food, what else?_

_Food? How would they take our food?_ Sango stood up; she had been sitting across from Miroku, watching the brawl with barely suppressed amusement. _One of them will arrange a patrol, and they sneak into the others territory, and steal a kill. I've been on several raids with Inuyasha, and getting a kill from Koga's pack is pretty hard. He's got a much larger pack._

Kagome nodded, _But I'm starting to get worried, they're getting dust on the deer._ She glanced mildly at the now coughing Miroku. _D-don't inhale du-dust!_ Kagome gave him a _look_. _Yeah, thanks for the advice, I'll keep that in mind._ Sango smacked him on the back with a well-aimed paw, causing him to spit out a piece of meat. _Kagome, can you go stop them while I take care of Mr. Piggy here?_ Looking back at the fighting males, Kagome nodded. _Leave it to me Sango!_

_Stop running away you damn coward!_ A white figure emerged from the dust, _Only if you can catch me first mutt!_ The laughing retort drifted from somewhere inside the dust cloud. Kagome walked forward hesitantly, and was hit in the face by Inuyasha, who had been sent flying. _Hah! You're getting weaker Koga, that one didn't hurt at all!_ Thoroughly pissed, Kagome tried to push the heavier wolf off of her. _That's because you used my FACE as a CUSHION!_ With one last heave, Kagome staggered to her feet. _If you were more careful, you would have noticed that you're covering our FOOD with DIRT!_ He glanced sheepishly at the deer, _Sorry…._

Unbeknownst to Kagome, while she was reaming out the Alpha, a pair of bright blue eyes were observing her from the shadows. Suddenly, in mid-sentence, a strong pair of jaws grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and yanked her away. _Sorry mutt-face, this time I'm not taking the kill, I'm taking the female!_ Inuyasha stood his ground, _As if I care, take her! Good riddance wolf shit!_

Kagome flattened her ears, _When I get back, you'll be missing half your ear when I get to you!_ Inuyasha snorted, and turned his back. _**That is, IF I get back alive.**_

**Inu**

_Hah!_ Inuyasha sat down in front of the dead deer, all traces of his earlier irritation vanished. _That's two problems taken care of!_ Getting rid of Kagome would save him lots of extra stress, with her marked, Naraku could show up at any time, and with Koga gone, there would be no competition. _Kay, guys, can you help me? We need to get the kill back to the den._

Much to his surprise, no one moved. Then, after a long awkward silence, Sango rose to her feet. Miroku followed, and grabbed the kill. Sango however, kept going until she was face to face with the arrogant white wolf. _I am going nowhere until you get Kagome back._ Inuyasha flattened his ears. _No. Why should I?_ Sango came closer, _Because if you don't, I will rip you from head to tail, and feed you to the badgers. Kagome is part of our pack, and you as the alpha, will take responsibility for her. NOW!_ Her fangs were bared and her neck fur stood straight up. Inuyasha backed into a tree, he didn't like his options; Save kagome and put up with her again, or get ripped to shreds by Sango.

He chose the first option.


	7. Chapter 6

_=I'm back! I'm not dead! (Though if my teacher keeps assigning homework I will be) Thank you for all the positive reviews for Song of Change, and any ideas or critiques will be welcome, and I will take all of your ideas into account. I do read all of my reviews, and I can't even tell you how happy they make me… *sniffle* Anyway, enough of my sniveling, and on to Chapter 6! This is Shadow, signing out! =_

Song of Change chapter 6: He said what now?!

It was a beautiful clear sunny morning, the birds were chirping, the bees were buzzing, and Inuyasha had his face pressed into the dirt.

_Come on! I found her scent, we need to MOVE!_ Sango quickly loped over to the previously white wolf. _Well, let's go!_ She wagged her tail and began to walk ahead. _Sanggoooo~ Please, don't be so harsh!_ Her tail stopped wagging. _Oh shut up! You deserved it!_ Sango aimed a glare at Miroku, who had just emerged from a thicket of trees, limping slightly. _There was no need to get angry, I was merely asking!_ Sango snorted, and walked away, ears flat against her head.

Unabashed, Miroku turned to Inuyasha. _Why are you trying to find Kagome? I thought you hated her…_ Inuyasha rolled his eyes, _Because Sango will rip me to shreds if I don't, and Koga taking a wolf out of MY territory is an insult of the highest degree. He can't and won't get away with this. I'll tear him to pieces next time I see him!_

_ That's what you say every time Inuyasha…_ Miroku mildly looked down at the dust-covered wolf. _I say that there's a different reason behind you looking for Kagome…. _Inuyasha pricked his ears, _And what would that be? _Miroku sidled up behind him, _You liiiiiikkkkkeeeee her!_

From her head start, Sango abruptly turned around as a shriek was heard behind her, Miroku was shortly seen fleeing for his life with his tail tucked firmly between his legs, running from a wrathful Inuyasha who seemed to be bent on destroying him. _HEElllpp MEEE SANGOOO!_

**Kagome**

_Put me down! _Kagome was fed up with being dragged around like a chew toy, and she was equally fed up with her captor, _Let me go! UGH!_ Koga growled in irritation. _Would you stop making all that noise?! _ Kagome put her ears down; _I'll make all the damn noise I want!_ She barked loudly, resulting in an angry growl from Koga. _Shut up. We're almost there._ Curiosity killed the cat, Kagome fell silent, and pricked her ears despite her compromising position.

Koga pushed her forward again, and she growled softly, until a large waterfall came into view, it cascaded into a river that wound around a large, sheltered clearing protected by rocks. Koga gave a short sharp bark, and two wolves who had been lazily sunning themselves atop a mossy rock, instantly stood and wagged their tails. _Koga's back! _One bounded to the ground and trotted up to Koga, _Welcome back Koga, who's that?_ Minion one and Minion two (as dubbed by Kagome) seemed to be preoccupied with greeting Koga, so Kagome tried to sidle away, only to be shoved into a watchful Koga again. _Ginta, Hakkaku, go tell the pack that I've returned._ The two minions nodded enthusiastically, and ran behind the waterfall.

Kagome flattened her ears again, _There is no way that you're gonna get me to go through that. NO WAY. _Koga gave her a lazy smirk, _You wanna bet?_ Kagome eyed the waterfall again, _No. But I'm still not going through that. _ Koga grabbed her by the scruff and proceeded to drag the strongly protesting Kagome closer to the roaring waterfall.

Cold water rushed over Kagome, plastering her black fur to her body, spluttering, she staggered to her feet, ready to give Koga the tongue-lashing he deserved. Quickly she turned to face him, only to find herself face to face with….. a cave full of male wolves. Kagome yipped and scrambled backwards, running herself into a corner. Minion one and minion two appeared by her. _Koga, this one looks tasty!_ Pricking her ears, Kagome shoved her tail between her legs, _**t-tasty? That doesn't sound good….**_ More males advanced, _Koga, can we have some fun? It's been to long since you brought back a feeemaallle. _One licked his lips, leering at the small black wolf. Kagome glanced around, hoping to find a friendly face, and tried backing up again, only to find herself pushed against a wall.

Brown fur blocked her view, _Anyone who touches her is badger food. This female is NOT to be touched, understood?_ Koga growled at the tide of advancing males, who respectfully backed down, and backed away. Kagome looked up at her savior gratefully, only to be seized by the scruff and dragged towards a mossy patch of ground, and be dumped mercilessly upon it. Koga glanced at her, _You'll stay here for the time being. Don't cause any trouble. _He turned around, and marched out of the cave, accompanied by Minion one and Minion two, Ginta and Hakak-something…

Sighing in self-pity, the small wolf flung herself onto the moss, fully prepared for some well-deserved sulk time. Kagome snuggled into the moss, it was so soft, and warm, and… Alive?! The black wolf sprung to her feet, thoroughly freaked out. The 'moss' squirmed for a while, and a small reddish-brown face peeked out. _Why'd ya do that?_

Kagome sat down. _Uh…. I'm sorry._ The small face studied her for a moment, and there was more movement under the moss, and a small fox cub emerged, his fluffy tail filled with bits and pieces of moss. _It's OK. My name's Shippo, what's yours?_ Kagome smiled, she had always been good with puppies (her brother not included), _Kagome, nice to meet you! How did you get here?_ Shippo looked at her with huge green eyes, _The two Thunder Brothers killed my father, I was out looking for them, when one of these wolves snatched me up and brought me here, I think they were gonna eat me, but I guess they just forgot that I was here. _ The little fox looked down at the ground sadly, ears drooping. _Awhh, Hey, you'll be OK… Trust me._ Kagome nuzzled the desolate little figure, and curled herself around the fox. Shippo froze for a moment, then wiggled himself into a more comfortable position, and fell asleep.

The smell of fresh meat snapped Kagome out of her momentary reverie. A boar landed right in front of the moss pile where she was settled. _E-eeeh?_ Koga appeared behind it. _You hungry?_ Kagome regarded the boar in disdain, it reeked. _Uh.. No thanks. I'm not hungry. _Koga studied her intently, causing Kagome to put her ears back. _You know what..? You're kind of pretty…! _He turned to his minions, and then back to her. _I've decided. You're gonna be my mate!_ Kagome froze, _**I'm gonna be his WHAT?!**_

_This is Shadow again with a quick note regarding Song of Change, every week after a new chapter has been posted, please check my profile for a sneak-peek of the next chapter, this weeks sneak-peek has already been posted, so please read and revieewww!_


	8. Chapter 7

_Song of Change Chapter 7~! Shadow here, saying thanks for all the reviews and ideas, I will find a way to fit them in somewhere, also, I would like some ideas on how long the story should be, because right now, I'm not seeing any smooth conclusions in sight, but don't worry, the end isn't coming for a loooooonnnnnnggg time ;) ~Shadow_

Song of Change chapter 7

Kagome was confused. Very confused. _W-wait, what?_ Koga looked at her with a lazy smirk,_ You're gonna be my female._ His voice was filled with self-assurance and he was oozing arrogance. There were some quiet murmurs coming from the brown mass of wolves behind him. Finally, Minion one (Ginta) and Minion two (Hakkaku) spoke up; _Koga! Are you sure? She's just an ordinary female! _Koga silenced the two wolves, turning back to his pack. _Of course! She's from the pack of my worst enemy, and she'll give me an advantage over him! Also, she's good at hunting and she's fast! _Kagome craned her neck, trying to se around the mass of brown fluff that was Koga. _**How does he know this…?**_

__After his little speech, Koga stood in front of his pack, and then as if they had never questioned him, the pack erupted into happy yells and growls, all congratulating Koga on his… new mate. Koga nodded in approval, and started to wag is tail, accidentally smacking Kagome in the face with every wag.

Then, suddenly, two wolves came running through the waterfall, panting heavily; _K-Koga!_ Kagome pricked her ears up, and removed her face from Koga's tail. Said wolf immediately stopped wagging his tail, and stiffened. Koga growled, _Was it the eagles?_ The two wolves nodded in exhaustion, tails and heads drooping. _They got Raihei, and they tried coming after us._ The fur on the back of Koga's neck rippled, and he growled darkly, sending shivers down Kagome's spine. _They've gone too far, it's time to teach them a lesson. Ginta, Hakkaku, patrol, NOW!_

Koga and company marched out of the cave, leaving Kagome alone with a sleeping fox-cub and the rest of the pack.

**INU**

_Sango, quit pacing. You're not making this go any faster._ Inuyasha mumbled, face still pressed into the dirt, _The damn trail splits here!_ Sango whined, and continued to pace, dust clouds arising from her paws. _I'm worried Inuyasha! I'll pace if I want to!_ Inuyasha rolled his eyes, and resumed his sniffing. Miroku put his nose down to the dirt, and gave an experimental sniff, and snorted; _I don't know how you do this, all I smell is rocks and mud._ Inuyasha gave no answer, and continued his search. Personally, Inuyasha didn't know why he was looking for the small black wolf, he kept telling himself that it was because Koga had taken one of his pack members from his territory, giving the white alpha a logical reason to be angry. But some small part of him, the small voice somewhere inside his brain, told him that he was looking for Kagome because he was worried.

**Kagome**

Kagome glanced behind her, the small fox-cub dangling in her jaws. _Hang in there Shippo, just a little bit further!_ Shippo glanced up at her, and squealed as he swung from her jaws.

Behind her, Koga's pack ran hot on her heels, tongues lolling out of their mouths, enjoying the chase. Koga himself was out hunting, giving Kagome the opportunity she needed to make a run for it. She looked around wildly, scanning for any means of escape. Her eyes fell on a small crack in the rock wall, too small for her to fit through, but…. _Shippo! Can you get through that hole?_ The little fox nodded, and glanced back at their pursuers. _Alright!_ She let go of Shippo, who quickly scrambled towards the opening, his fluffy tail quivering.

Kagome spun around to face the ring of wolves, _Follow the river Shippo! Find the white wolf and tell him where I am, don't worry about me, I'll be fine, now GO!_ Shippo looked at her one last time, and vanished through the hole, leaving Kagome to face the advancing tide of wolves alone.

Once Koga had left, Kagome had roused Shippo, and had grabbed the little fox in her jaws, claiming that he had to go to the bathroom. The other wolves had given her some fleeting glances, and had resumed eating. As soon as they had left the waterfall, Kagome broke out into a sprint, not looking behind her to see who was pursuing her. The sound of paws against rock must have alerted the pack, because within a few seconds, Kagome had half the pack chasing her.

Having relived her little flashback, Kagome shook herself and braced herself. _Don't come any closer!_ The wolves milled around her, but didn't come any closer. And then Koga appeared. _Hey, why'd you run off? _Kagome glared at him, _I want to go home._ Koga laughed, white fangs flashing, _Feisty, I like that in a female!_ Kagome stared at him in disbelief, _**Did he not hear ANYTHING that I just said?**_ Koga smirked, and leaned in to press his nose against hers…. And found her fangs clamped onto his nose.

There was a shocked silence for a few seconds, and then whispers erupted behind Koga within the pack; _Koga! She bit Koga!_ Said wolf looked shocked for a few seconds. Kagome took a deep breath, _**OK, I need to think of something to put him off….. Oh, I'm gonna regret this…..**_ The small black wolf glared at Koga, _I'm sorry, but I'm already seeing someone. _Koga looked at her in surprise, _You mean the mutt, Inutrasha?_ Kagome put her ears back in embarrassment, hating her life. _His name is INUYASHA say it right!_

Much to her surprise, Koga smirked, and then turned his back to her, laughing to himself. _Good, cuz when I kill him, you'll be all mine! _Kagome stared after him in shock, _**This wolf…. His head is thicker than Inuyashas! Will he ever give up?!**_


	9. Chapter 8

_=Thank you for sticking with me so long! You must be getting tired of hearing my whining... Anyway, I'm sorry for the short chapter, and I'll try to make this one EXTRA long just for you guys ;) Remember, the 100th reviewer will get a free story from me, about any Inuyasha pairing/character that they want, so please keep reviewing guys! It keeps me going!=_

Song of Change chapter 8: Fangs and Talons

Koga stared in wonder at the bristling she-wolf in front of him, she was just the kind of female he liked... Pretty, strong willed and definitely not a pushover. It was unacceptable that she was in the same pack as that mutt... Just thinking about Inuyasha made Kogas' fur bristle. The two had met when both of them were younger, and were claiming pack territory. Inuyasha had originally wanted the mountains, but Koga had claimed them first, irritating the white-wolf to no end. The two had clashed several times, neither emerging victorious. The only thing that stopped them from outright massacring each other was the fact that Naraku would wage war on the victorious Alpha, the only reason he seemed to be biding his time was because both Inuyasha and Koga together were a force to be reckoned with, and he didn't seem to want to risk his life against the two of them. _**Wimp...**_ Koga snorted loudly, earning himself questioning glances from his packmates. _**If he just crawled out of that swamp he calls home, I could kick his ass!**_  
A loud cough interrupted his mental tirade; Kagome was sitting on the floor glaring at him. _And how long do you plan on keeping me here?_ Koga stared at her in surprise; _You're my mate now! You'll stick with me forever babe!_

**Kagome**

_You'll stick with me forever babe!_ Kagome wilted, this wolf... Was persistent! _Koga, how many times have I told you that I'm not interested?_ Kagome scowled at the confident Alpha, willing him to understand that she didn't like him that way. _You can tell me as many times as you want, but you can't deny your true feelings Kagome._ A shocked silence followed, and Kagome gagged on air, _**Denial!? He thinks I'm in DENIAL?! How dense IS he?!**_ Kagome stood, gaping like a fish as Koga smirked at her. Koga must have taken her surprise as realization, and said, _And once I kill that white mutt, there'll be no competition for me, and you'll be all mine!_ And with those words, Koga rose to his paws, and strode out of the den, leaving Kagome gaping behind him.

**Inuyasha**

Inuyasha was tired. And irritable. And pissed. Having Sango and Miroku gripe at him about Kagome was not improving his temper. _JUST SHUT UP! I'm doing my best!_ Sango gave him a glare that could have melted a lesser wolf. _Well then your best is clearly not good enough!_ As Inuyasha and Sango continued to growl at each other, Miroku stood passively by, watching the two with interest. _Hey, if you two had stopped arguing-(_the two wolves paused, and gave Miroku simultaneous glares)_- you might have noticed the fox cub standing at the edge of the clearing._ Miroku finished his little speech with a smug expression as Sango and Inuyasha both whirled to face said fox, fur bristling. The little fox wilted, and seemed to be ready to bolt, but bravely stood his ground against two wolves who were more than twice his size. _A-are you Inuyasha?_ Inuyasha tilted his head, curious, but still irritated. _And what if I was runt?_ The fox wrinkled his tiny nose in dismay, _I don't think you are, Kagome said that you were white, you're all brown!_ Inuyasha put his ears back, and surveyed himself, the fox was right, he was more dust-colored than white.  
The fox continued to stare at Inuyasha until the Alpha growled at him, _Shut it runt, I'm normally white._ The fox-cub stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha, until Sango interrupted. _Did you say Kagome? Do you know where she is?_ The fox turned to face Sango, _You know Kagome?_ Sango nodded enthusiastically, bobbing her head. _She's at Koga's den! You gotta help her! I'll show you the way!_ The little fox turned, and began to jog away, until Inuyasha barred his way. _Hang on a sec, how do we know that this little fuzzball is telling the truth?_ The little 'fuzzball' growled at Inuyasha, _I have a name, and it's not fuzzball, it's Shippo!_ Inuyasha muttered under his breath, glaring at Shippo.  
Finding Kagome was not Inuyasha's top priority, but finding her meant finding Koga, and finding Koga meant whooping his ass. Sango abruptly made his decision for him, by pinning Inuyasha to the ground, ears flat back. _If this fox-cub can help us find Kagome, I'm going. And nothing you say can stop me, so if you're not gonna go, get out of here._ Inuyasha gulped, and glanced at Miroku for backup, but the brown wolf shrugged, and began to follow Sango as she helped Shippo to his feet. Shippo glared at Inuyasha, _I can't believe that you don't want to help Kagome! She's so sweet and nice! (_at this, Inuyasha rolled his eyes) _If you guys don't help, she'll be mated to Koga for life!_ Inuyasha froze, _She'll be...WHAT?_  
Then, much to the surprise of everyone else, Inuyasha grabbed Shippo by the scruff, and began loping towards Koga's domain, _Where do I go runt?_ Shippo squirmed, but began giving the white wolf instructions as they neared the edge of the cliffs, eagles circling far overhead.

**Kagome**

_So let's go over this again, you want me to do what?!_ Koga smiled at her, blue eyes twinkling. Kagome would have found this very cute, if he wasn't trying to convince her to risk her life._ The feud between my pack and the eagle flock has gone on far too long, and it's time to end this. We're gonna ambush them in the evening, and that's where you come in. I need you to distract the eagles while the rest of the pack and I slip up the cliffs, and find the leader. Without him they're helpless. Don't worry, you look fast, I'm sure you'll be fine. _Koga flashed her a winning smile, not reassuring the black wolf in the slightest. _Yeah... Thanks Koga... _ She tried her best to fake a cheesy grin, wagging her tail.

Despite herself, Kagome found herself wishing that she was back with Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Ayame. Actually, she missed all of them, including Inuyasha. Sure, he was a jerk, and an asshole, and a loser, but he had some good qualities... Like... Like... Well, he had good qualities. Somewhere.

Koga smiled at her again, and strode over to his companions, 'minion one' and 'minion two', obviously ready to discuss battle plans. Kagome rolled her eyes, _**Males, all they think about is food, females and war. If they actually thought past their next meal, the world would be a better, less testosterone filled place. **_

Sighing, the black wolf put her head on top of her paws, staring out at the slowly sinking sun. _**I hope Shippo found Inuyasha... And that Inuyasha didn't eat Shippo...**_ Kagome thought back to the small fox, and then thought of Inuyasha, who definitely did NOT like puppies at ALL. Kagome winced, and put her ears back. _Oops..._

**Inuyasha**

_Tell me again, WHY did we bring this runt with us?_ Inuyasha was fed up with the little fox, and was on the verge of flinging Shippo off of the cliff and watching him fall. Miroku rolled his eyes, and with endless patience, repeated what he had said less than ten minutes ago. _Because this little 'runt' as you call him, knows how to find Kagome. _Inuyasha glared at Miroku, and huffed loudly, causing the Shippo to squirm in his jaws. _Stop calling me runt, albino!_ Inuyasha growled loudly,_ If you don't shut up, I'll feed you to the marsh wolves!_ Shippo shut up. Sango glanced up at the sky, furrowing her brows. _Inuyasha, those eagles have been following us for quite some time, and I don't think they're hunting for rabbits. _Inuyasha cast a thoughtful eye up at the sky, eying said birds. _Naah, those aren't eagles, those are vultures. They're waiting for me to throw this scrap of fur that I've been carrying around to them. (_At this, Shippo stopped squirming, and began to eye the birds in mistrust)_ Just ignore them Sango, they'll go away eventually. _Sango nodded slowly, but continued to watch the birds. Inuyasha resumed walking, Shippo swaying in his jaws. _So why did we bring the fox?_ Miroku just rolled his eyes, and continued walking.

**Kagome**

The sun had set, and the pack was on the move. With scouts continually glancing up at the sky, watching for any straggling eagles. Kagome was next to Koga, reviewing her role in the night's ambush. _So I'm gonna run out in front, act like an idiot and then run for my life?_ Koga nodded enthusiastically, _Yeah, that was a pretty good summary of the plan!_ Kagome faked a laugh, _Yeah, yeah, I feel reassured now..._ Koga smiled at her, white fangs flashing in the darkness. _Good, cuz' you need to be ready to run... Mate. _Kagome just glared at Koga, and muttered under her breath about 'hormonal males'.

Finally, the group arrived at the peak of the cliff, a tall spire surrounded by huge granite rocks. Several small, stunted trees grew out of cracks in the rock wall, craning towards what little sunlight would reach them. _Wow, _Kagome breathed, eyes wide, _That is one, big rock._ Koga nodded in agreement, _And right at the top is where we'll find the leader._ Kagome gulped, _Uhh, are you sure that you'll be OK?_ Koga eyed her in affection, _Of course mate, don't doubt my strength. I'll protect you no matter what._ Kagome rolled her eyes, _**I don't doubt your strength in self-delusion, that's for sure...**_ A nudge from Koga brought her out of her reverie, he glanced at her, blue eyes reflecting the faint moonlight. _Are you ready for this?_ Kagome took a deep breath, and looked up at the imposing rock wall. _You bet I am._


	10. Chapter 9

_=Ugh... I'm so sorry for the long wait. Between school and my grades, I've been more than fairly busy. Actually, most of Song of Change has been written at school, while I've been supposedly writing 'essays'. I've gotten several wonderful ideas for the continuation of SoC, and I'll take all of those into account. You guys are probably getting sick of me by now, but the prize story for Ai Seikatsu is up and posted, and I hope you guys will look in on it sometime. Cheers, ~Shadow=_

Song of Change Chapter 9

**Kagome**

Kagome shuddered, hoping that the watchful birds above wouldn't see her tremble as she howled insults up at the deathly silent peaks. _Cowards! Will you sleep in your nests or will you answer my call?!_ She fully well knew that the eagles were awake and watching, but keeping their attention was what was important. She glanced over at Koga out of the corner of her eye. Already dark shapes were picking their way towards the cliff wall. Shaking herself, Kagome turned back to the cliff, warily keeping her gaze on the golden eyes that were appearing in startling numbers. One eagle in particular, worried her. She had been the first to take flight after Kagome had howled, and was currently circling above her in the sky. Suddenly, minion-one, or Ginta, as Koga had told her, slipped, and his paw dislocated a loose rock from the cliff wall, clattering against the other stones as it fell. All wolves froze, eyes snapping towards where the eagles nested. A few moments of silence followed, and then all hell broke loose.

An eagle screamed, breaking the heavy silence, and a dark shape dropped from the sky. Kagome yelped in surprise and threw herself left as a dark shape came hurtling towards her, talons glinting eerily in the starlight. Instantly, a swarm of wolves covered the ground, all hopes of ambush vaporizing as more and more eagles hurled themselves from the cliff walls. One wolf alone, stood his ground, bright blue eyes glowing in the darkness. Koga glared up at the filled skies, snarled loudly and bounded upwards, calling encouragement to his pack as he went; _You can take care of the small fry, I'll look for the leader! _Kagome rolled her eyes, and turned her attention to a nearby eagle, neatly dodging an aerial attack and sniggered in satisfaction as the eagle crash-landed in a pile of unforgiving rocks.

A surprised yelp from above caught her attention, Ginta or Hakkaku (she couldn't tell them apart..) had been snagged by a large bird, and was being carried away. She didn't particularly like Ginta/Hakkaku, but he had been kind to her, and she owed him a favor. Kagome looked around quickly, and found a rocky outcropping to scramble up to. She crouched down to the ground. _**Kami... I hope I don't miss!**_ Kagome braced herself, and took a flying leap o  
ut into thin air... And landed on a warm, feathery surface. Kagome yelped in terror as the bird, clearly unaccustomed to airline passengers, began to spiral downwards, wailing Ginta/Hakkaku in tow.

Several loud crashes, bruises and scrapes later, a proud Kagome shook herself off, and was almost tackled by Minion one and Minion two. Ginta (minion one) looked up at her, eyes brimming with adoration; _Thank you for saving me sister! _ Hakkaku chimed in, sidling up next to his friend, _That was really brave of you! I thought Ginta was done for!_ Ginta, who obviously didn't like the idea of being done for, snapped at his friend, until Koga, now standing on a high cliff barked out new orders for the pair; _Protect Kagome! I don't want her getting hurt!_  
Ginta and Hakkaku snapped to attention, and began to escort a flustered Kagome to safety. _R-really! Why are you doing this for me?_ Ginta stared at her as if she was insane. _Our Alpha told us to protect you sister! _Hakkaku nodded importantly, _It's our duty Sister!_ Now it was Kagome's turn to stare; _Sister? Why are you calling me sister?_ This time, Ginta and Hakkaku both stared, _Because you're the mate of our Alpha! That makes you our sister!_ Kagome sighed in defeat, _**These wolves are hopeless... Their Alpha seems to have brainwashed them all...**_ But she allowed herself to be escorted nonetheless, until she heard a familiar howl...  
_Kagome!_ Said wolf whipped around, blue eyes bright with newfound enthusiasm. _Inuyasha!_ Normally, she would have growled at him, but he was the first friendly not-intent-upon-courting-her wolf that she had seen for over a day. She all but sprinted up to her 'saviour' wagging her tail. _Inuyaaassshhhaaaaa! Thank Kami that you're here!_ Much to the dismay of Ginta and Hakkaku, she then proceeded to quickly scurry behind the white wolf, _I was soo scaarreeedd!_ Inuyasha twitched his ears, and turned to Koga, baring his teeth._ KOGA!_ Said wolf turned from his perch up on the cliffside, and stared down at Inuyasha with disdain; _Oh, it's the mutt-face! What do you want?_ Inuyasha smiled, the gesture more a threat than an assurance. _I came to kick your ass? What else wolf-shit?_ Koga rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently. _As long as you have nothing to do with my mate, fine._ Inuyasha's golden eyes widened, glowing in the low evening light, _Mate..?_  
Koga laughed mockingly, and turned to Kagome; _Kagome, no need to go back with that mutt! I love you, and I'll protect you much better than he ever could! _Silence ensued, even the eagles seemed to have calmed down enough to allow an awkward silence to cover the cliffsides. A cicada chirped, Koga smiled, and Kagome gawked. If wolves could raise their eyebrows, Miroku did. _I wish I had that kind of confidence..._ Sango, too stunned to reply, turned to Kagome, obviously looking for an explanation. The small black wolf was stiffer than a board, jaw dropped, eyes wide open in surprise, indignation and anger. _W-Whaaattt? Thassnot true!_ Kagome turned to Sango, eyes wide. _I'm not his mate! He's making this up!_ Inuyasha shook himself, and turned to Koga; _I'm gonna kill you you stupid bastard!_


	11. Chapter 10

_=Ehhh, I'm failing math... And I'm not studying. (I'm such a bad student) Eh, I'll do it later :P. Anyway, back to Song of Change. I'm really sorry about the short chapters, but between my faltering grades and my cracked home computer screen, I can barely find time to write. Don't worry, I'll still be able to update, and I will. I will not give up on SoC! *burning inspiration*=_

Song of Change chapter 10: Accidental Rivals

Glancing between the two bristling males, Miroku let out a throaty bark of laughter, eyes glittering with mirth. Kagome, caught up in the tension of the eagle-vs-wolf war, quickly reprimanded him; "_What are you doing?! This is NO time for laughing!_" Miroku lazily turned around, smiling widely. "_I just wish I had Kouga's determination... Imagine how many females I could ge-"_ Miroku's sentence was cut short as Sango clamped her jaws down on his tail, dragging him backwards. She stared into his eyes menacingly, _"Miroku, if you had his determination, you'd be long dead._" Miroku gulped and rolled onto his back, tail tucked between his legs. Kagome eyed him mildly, "_I wouldn't exactly call that determination, I'd say it's more self-delusion._"

Kouga, seemingly deaf to any negativity from Kagome stared down at the black wolf, blue eyes shining. "_Kagome, love, don't worry. I'll protect you from this mangy flea-bitten mutt._" Kagome rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, "_The only one I need to be protected from is YOU._" Sango chuckled quietly, and turned her eyes to the sky, watching the seething whirlpool of murder-hungry eagles. "_Yo Miroku, think we should help?_" Miroku nodded slowly, "_Kagome seems to think so, and they don't seem like they're a bad pack... Kouga not included. But he's more of a pervert than a villain._" Kagome snorted. "_That could be disputed_."

**Inuyasha**

As Miroku, Kagome and Sango laughed at the hilarity of the situation, Inuyasha was pondering the numerous ways in which he could mangle, maul, dismember or cause Kouga intense, severe pain. Kouga had been his nemesis for as long as he could remember, and probably even longer than that. Whenever something went wrong, it was most likely Kouga's fault(Naraku aside, it was easier to blame the brown wolf than to try to pin down Naraku.), having Kagome kidnapped was crossing the line, even for Kouga. "_Hey wolf shit! You ready to come down here and have your guts ripped out?_"

Kouga smiled cheekily, "_Such a tempting offer, but I'm afraid that I'll have to pass. I'M BUSY KILLING EAGLES!_" The two males had a brief stare-down, until Inuyasha snarled angrily, and began to climb the cliff-wall himself, "_If you're not gonna come to me wolf shit, I'm gonna come to you._"

Kouga snarled at the white wolf as he dodged a well-aimed blow from an eagle talon. "_Get outta here mutt! I got bigger problems to deal with than your bruised pride!_" Inuyasha lunged for Kouga, but he was intercepted by a flailing eagle wing. Inuyasha then settled for ripping the eagle to shreds instead of Kouga, it helped him vent his anger, but he wasn't satisfied. He WOULDN'T be satisfied until it was Kouga he was ripping to shreds. Eh, he'd get there eventually. Inuyasha pinned the brown alpha with a glare, and continued to scrabble up the rocky surface.

**Kagome**

Turning her attention away from the squabbling Miroku and Sango, kagome watched Inuyasha and Kouga scramble for the top of the cliff, Kouga neatly dodging all eagles that came his way, and Inuyasha simply shredded anything living that blocked his pursuit of Kouga.

Despite her prejudices against Inuyasha, Kagome couldn't help but be worried about him. He was the leader of her pack, and he had come to take her back from Kouga, she liked that in a male, but she didn't like Inuyasha. _**Nope, not at all.**_ She violently shook herself to rid her head of unwanted thoughts and concentrated on the battle above; Kouga was nearing the top of the cliff, Inuyasha close behind, unbeknownst to the two males, a dark, huge feathery shape was taking shape in the sky. Kagome tucked her tail between her legs, eyes widening at the sheer size of the shadowy bird. Her wide eyes rapidly flicked to the eagle, the two alphas, and the eagle again. "_ABOVE YOU! Watch out!_"

** Inuyasha**

"_ABOVE YOU! Watch out!_"

Inuyasha whipped his head around in response to Kagome's panicked howl, realized that he was supposed to look _up_ and flipped his head around, and his jaw dropped. There was a huge eagle arrowing down towards him, eyes glinting murderously and talons spread wide. Inuyasha wasted a few seconds staring stupidly into the sky, and then his reflexes kicked in. After yelping in a very un-manly manner, Inuyasha jumped to the side, and nearly slipped off the edge of the cliff, paws scrabbling for any hand, err... Paw holds.

"_Hey wolf-shit! Did you know that this huge piece of shit was lurking up here!?_" Kouga turned his head, and looked up, strangely unsurprised at the sight of a huge eagle bent on destroying the universe. "_Yeah mutt-face, I've been trying to get this wimp to show his face! I guess he got so sick of seeing your ugly face that he came down to wipe you out himself!_"

"_Speak for yourself wolf-shit! You're uglier than I am!_" Kouga's eye twitched.

After a very short, but violent round of 'You're uglier than I am', both males were wheezing from the exertion of dodging an angry eagle and yelling at the other alpha.

"_W-won't you gi-give up and d-die already?_" Inuyasha wheezed as Kouga made a half-hearted leap towards the boss-eagle. Kouga glared at Inuyasha, "_And leave my precious Kagome with you?! Never!_" Inuyasha snarled at Kouga and vented his anger on the somewhat-more-battered-looking eagle. "_Will you just shut up and leave Kagome out of this?_"

"_Never! I love Kagome, and _unlike you_-I deserve a female like her_!" From below, Kagome was blankly staring at Kouga, jaw dropped while Miroku poked her with a paw.

Kouga paused mid-speech, words twisting into a howl of pain; The eagle had come up behind him, and had his wickedly sharp beak clamped around Kouga's hind leg, blood rushing from the open wound.

Inuyasha gaped at the other Alpha, his golden eyes wide with astonishment. Much to his surprise, Kouga twisted his leg out of the jaws of the eagle, and gave the bird a vicious bite to the face._ "Well mutt-face? Are you gonna help me out?_" Inuyasha snorted, "_And if I do?_" Kouga paused, obviously he hadn't considered that Inuyasha would want something in return; "_I'll... I'll leave your territory alone for the next moon."_ Inuyasha paused, considering his answer.

"_Fine wolf-shit, but you owe me big time._"

**Kagome**

Males were confusing. There was no question about it. One minute the two alphas were at each others throats, and the next they were forming an alliance?! Kagome looked over at Sango and Miroku; "_C'mon you guys, lets finish up here so that we can go home._" Sango looked up from a whimpering Miroku, and let go of his ear. "_Kay' Kagome, Mr. Lecher here needs something to distract him, and I need something to vent on. I don't think Inuyasha would take kindly to me killing his Beta." _Miroku looked at Sango pleadingly, "_No, he most certainly wouldn't_." Sango merely snorted and turned to shred an eagle that had foolishly targeted her as a weakling. Needless to say, that eagle would never make that mistake again. Eh, it was his fault.

Kagome turned her attention back to the males above, as a team, they worked surprisingly well together, Inuyasha was shredding anything that he could reach, while Kouga was nimbly snapping at the outstretched wings of the furious boss-eagle. Finally, panting and dripping with blood, the eagle faltered in its flight, and sensing weakness, Kouga scrambled onto the eagle, who was rapidly losing altitude. Not to be outdone by his rival, Inuyasha made a leap, and landed next to Kouga with a heavy thunk, that caused the eagle to unceremoniously plummet to the ground. With a crash, the bird smacked into the hard rocks, twitched once, and moved no more. Seeing their boss dead on the ground seemed to weaken the remaining eagles morale, and (aided by a few gleeful snaps from Miroku) they turned wing and fled.

**Inuyasha**

Panting from exertion, Inuyasha turned to Kouga grinning evilly; "_Now, it's your turn wolf-!_" Kagome had run over to Kouga and was sniffing over his leg, barking instructions to his pack mates. _** S-She's helping him?!**_ Inuyasha had a momentary brain-fuzz, and stood gaping like a moron while Kagome helped Kouga to his feet.

Inuyasha shook his head violently and moved towards the other staggering Alpha, and was intercepted by... Kagome. He moved to the left, she moved in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kouga and co making a very (un) dignified retreat. He then wheeled to face Kagome; "_YOU LET HIM ESCAPE!_"


	12. Chapter 11

_-Meh, I feel like I should be on break, but nooooo... Ah well, Merry (Early) Christmas! I SHOULD be worrying about my F in math, and I kind of am(not), so I'm uploading a new chapter of Song of Change. Thanks for all of the reviews, they keep me going and I'm so thankful~~~(What am I saying?! Thanksgiving was LAST month!)-_

_**Song of Change Chapter 11: I'm going home**_

Kagome whirled around to face Inuyasha, "_What do you mean 'you let him escape'?! He was injured, and in NO condition to fight_!" Inuyasha snarled at the smaller wolf. "_You're a female, you wouldn't understand_!" Miroku groaned in horror behind him, and Sango swelled up in indignation. Kagome put her ears back, and snarled back at the white wolf. "_So now you're being sexist?! UGH, you're so self centered_!"

Inuyasha had a brief staring contest with the fuming she-wolf, _hmph_-ed and stalked over to the edge of the cliff and sat down, his aura of anger/depression nearly visible in the early dawn light. After restraining a furious Sango who was bent on punishing the alpha, Miroku padded over to Kagome, who was still standing, her neck-fur bristling with indignation. After looking at Sango, who was enthusiastically shoving eagle carcasses of the the cliff wall, Miroku sat down next to the black she-wolf, and nudged her with his snout. "_Hey, Kagome_," said wolf turned to face him, clearly still angry with the alpha, "_I know he doesn't act like it, but Inuyasha was actually worried about you_."

Kagome snorted in disbelief, "_Me, or his reputation_?" Miroku paused, considering her statement, "_You, I think... I think you hurt his pride by going to Koga instead of him..._" The small black she-wolf growled in annoyance, "_I bruised his precious ego, so what_?"

Miroku nudged her with a paw, "_SO, I think you should go apologize, and give him some praise. He's simple minded enough to be cheered up by that._" Kagome put her ears down, and seemed to shrink into herself. "_You think that would help_?" Miroku nodded, "_Yes, I think it would._"

Shippo, who had hidden under a bush during the whole ordeal, glanced out from his hiding place and scurried over to Kagome, burying his small face into her soft tail fur. Kagome smiled at the little fox, "_Alright, I guess I can go talk to him..._" Shippo looked up, and yawned widely, snuggling into her fur. Kagome gently nosed him over to Miroku, "_Take this little guy to the den, he's had a long day... Poor thing..._" Miroku looked down at the fox cub, "_Alright Kagome, good luck with Inuyasha._" Kagome nodded, "_I'll need it._"

After sending one last glance back at Sango, Kagome sighed and padded over to Inuyasha, who was still sulking on the cliff-side. Kagome plopped herself down next to him. "_So I heard you were worried about me_." Inuyasha put his ears back, "_No... Who told you that_?" He sent an accusatory glance back at Miroku who gave a cheesy smile in return. Kagome poked him with a paw. "_Aww, is somebody embarassed_?"

Inuyasha nearly keeled over, "_WHAT?! NO!_" Kagome laughed, "_I was only kidding, geez, loosen up will you_?" Inuyasha gave her the evil eye, muttering something about deluded females. Kagome frowned, "_If you're mad about the whole Kouga thing, I'm sorry_."

Inuyasha snorted and turned away from her. "_As if I'd be worried about something like that! How simple minded do you think I am_?!" Kagome shot him a look.

Kagome sighed, and looked back at Shippo. "_So what are you gonna do about Shippo_?" Inuyasha pricked his ears, "_Who_?"

Kagome sighed again, "_The fox cub_." Inuyasha looked over at said fox, and groaned. "_Oh, him. Pity. I was hoping that he'd been carried off by the eagles_." Kagome narrowed her eyes. "_So what are you going to do_?" Inuyasha seemed to shrink back and he put his ears back defensively, "_I dunno_.." Kagome's glare seemed to bore into him, and his resolve was wavering... "_Keep him I guess... If I don't, you'll get angry, and when you get angry Sango will get angry, and no one wants Sango angry_."

With that, Inuyasha turned away, disgusted by his own soft-heartedness. Kagome nodded approvingly and looked over at Shippo, who was busy starting a poke-war with Miroku. Inuyasha pricked his ears, "_How did Kouga manage to drag you into the war_..?"

Kagome furrowed her brows, "_Drag me...? OH. He sort of pressured me with his... Army_." Inuyasha nodded knowingly. "_Army huh? That's a pretty accurate description of his pack. He took over the pack after defeating the old leader, and he dominated a few other smaller packs with sheer force_."

Kagome's eyes widened. "_With sheer force? How is that possible_?!" Inuyasha eyed her quizzically, "_Yes, it's pretty normal in regular wolf packs. The strong take over, the weak get killed_..." He trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

At that moment, Kagome remembered the lame excuse she had made to Kouga; "_**I'm already seeing someone...**_" Her jaw dropped in mortification. "_**His name is INUYASHA, say it right**_!" Kagome withered. _**Oh god... I just hope that Inuyasha doesn't find out about that...**_

As if he had heard her thoughts, Inuyasha put his ears back, "_So what exactly happened between you and Kouga huh_?"

That one comment was too much for Kagome. All the pent up stress, anger and embarrassment flooded out in one huge wave. "_Inuyasha...WHAT KIND OF WOLF DO YOU TAKE ME FOR HUH_?!"

Inuyasha fell over in shock, and quickly recovered. "_It was a question! KAMI, calm DOWN_!" Kagome swelled up like a bullfrog. "_CALM DOWN?! YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN_?!"

Inuyasha shrank noticeably, and began slowly backing up. "_Well you let him escape! It's your fault that you got kidnapped anyway_!" Kagome's fur fluffed up in indignation, "_MY FAULT?! _MY _FAULT?! MAY I REMIND YOU WHO BEGAN THE STUPID ARGUEMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" _Inuyasha was backed up against a rock now, amazed how a small, seemingly meek wolf could so strongly resemble a rampaging bear. "_Well if you hadn't intervened_-"

But Kagome wouldn't let herself be interrupted. "_IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT FOR MAKING ME GO ON THAT STUPID HUNT! IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH AN ABSOLUTE MORON, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!_"

Sango and Miroku, sensing immenent danger, shrank into the scenery, blending in with the rocks in their efforts to remain unseen. Shippo was hiding behind Sango, eyes wide with fear.

Kagome was in full swing now, and nothing Inuyasha said or did could stop her. "_YOU MALES, YOU'RE SO STUPID! IF YOU'D ACTUALLY JUST _THINK _BEFORE YOU ACTED, THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE_!" Inuyasha seemed to regain some of his former vigor at the insult, and he stood up to face Kagome. "If you hate it this much here, then just LEAVE!"

Kagome stuck her nose in his face. "_YOU KNOW WHAT?! I THINK I WILL_!" Much to Inuyasha's horror, Kagome turned to Sango. "_You take care of Shippo. I'm leaving._"

Inuyasha growled at her. "_You going to find your sweetheart Kouga_?"

Kagome snarled at him, fangs bared and fur fluffed up. "_NO! I'M GOING HOME! YOU'RE SUCH A JERKKKKK_!" With those words Kagome turned and raced away, soon becoming nothing more than a black speck in the distance.

Inuyasha, who was hiding behind a rock trembling in shock, howled back. "_FINE! SEE IF I CAREEE!_"

A ways away, Sango looked over at Miroku in disgust. "_Yeah, THAT went well_."


	13. Chapter 12

-_Oh God... That last chapter sucked. Really bad. Once again, I must thank you all for helping me convince myself that I'm not an epic failure. Argh... Any suggestions are welcome, and I'm sorry for__ the random updates, I've been really busy with some family trouble and school, so it's been kind of hectic... I'll give this chapter a go though, and my muse seems to have (miraculously) come back to life... So SoC chapter 12..._.-

Song of Change chapter 12

A long, black road stretched before her, and the dark forest spread behind. Kagome swung her head, her misted breath arcing behind her as she surveyed the long stretch of pavement. _"If you hate it so much here, then just leave!" _Her ears pressed flat against her skull.

"_Fine! See if I care!" _Kagome snarled loudly, her long white fangs flashing in the darkness.

"_I'll see _you_ come killing season..." _With a furious growl, the small she wolf shook her head, and began to run, her claws smacking loudly onto the hard pavement.

Far behind her, a dark figure stretched leisurely, digging its claws into the soft forest turf. A pair of ears swivelled to follow the sound of paws, and bright red eyes flickered open and then narrowed in interest. _"_So you choose to flee the forest little sparrow?_" _The wolf turned its head up to the crescent moon, laughter forming wispy clouds of vapor in the cold night air.

A soft flutter of wings caused the wolf to prick its ears, and to melt into the undergrowth as a large owl fluttered to the ground. It surveyed the surroundings quietly, and gave a soft hoot of relief as it realized that it was alone.

A t flash of red and the snap of teeth on bone was all the owl had as warning. Feathers flew into the air as the wolf began to tear at the twitching bird. He raised his bloody jaws to the moon and gave a long, eerie howl. "I'll break your wings and you'll never run again..."

Two days had come and gone since Kagome had fled the cliffsides, and tensions were rising in Inuyasha's pack. Sango had become even more irritable and volatile, causing Miroku to become depressed and clingy, which had caused Inuyasha to vacate the denning area for large spaces of time every day.

Today was one of those days. Sango was pacing in the back of the den, causing dust clouds to rise up around her paws. Ayame gave her an irritated glance and attempted to wave away the dirt with a dainty paw. "Seriously Sango, stop it! You've been pacing all day!"

Sango sent the other wolf a withering glare, and resumed her pacing. "I'm worried about Kagome! Who knows where she could be?" Shippo popped his head out of a den. "Maybe she went home...?"

Sango shook her head. "I've thought about that, but she never told us where she came from!"

Ayame flopped back down onto her moss-pile. "Honestly, who _cares_? It's _so_ much quieter without her around!"

From his emo corner, Miroku shot the light-red wolf a _look_. "What? Am I the only one who doesn't miss the arguments?"

This time, both Miroku _and _Sango had to bite back a growl. Being the -ehm- _calmest _pack member present, Miroku gave a long, frustrated sigh and turned to Ayame. "It doesn't matter about the arguments, and it doesn't matter that it's quieter (which it's not... *pointed glance at Sango*) what really matters is that Kagome is a member of our _pack_. Pack members don't just leave each other hanging! She's practically _family_!"

Ayame just snorted. "Whatever.." She waved her tail dismissively and rolled over into a more sunlight patch of dirt.

Sango growled in the general direction of Ayame, and sat down with a huff. "Seriously Miroku, where would she have gone? I've searched the entire territory and there's no sign of her!"

Miroku sighed loudly, and toyed with a bone between his paws. "We've been over this before..."

Sango scowled darkly at him. "I _know _Miroku, I _know_! She said that she was going home, but no one knows where she came from! Our -ehem- _esteemed_ alpha says that she just ran into our territory bloody and bruised!"

Miroku just shook his head and put his head down onto his paws. "It was so much more _fun_ when Kagome was around..." Sango sighed quietly and sat down, curling her tail around her paws.

Sensing the tense and gloomy atmosphere that he had caused, Miroku pricked his ears. "Speaking of fun, where's Inuyasha? I haven't seen him around lately..."

From her corner in the sun, Ayame laughed quietly, "He's out patrolling the borders! Where else would he be..?"

Sango jerked bolt upright. "Wait! If he's been patrolling the territory, maybe he's found some sign of Kagome!" Shippo popped up behind Ayame, causing her to splutter in surprise and indignation. "We should go find him!"

Miroku nodded enthusiastically, and Ayame gave a long, drawn out sigh. "Honestly, do you guys think he'd actually _tell_ you if he found anything?"

Silence ensued. Sango and Shippo who had been discussing attack plans in the far corner of the cavern both turned to face Ayame, their faces twin mirrors of confusion.

Rolling her eyes at all three of them, the red wolf yawned widely and rolled over into the sunlight again. "He's been out there trying to _avoid_ you, and you expect him to just waltz in and tell you what you want? Odds are, he's probably covering up her trail! You saw how angry he was with her, _why _would he want Kagome back..?"

"That _stupid_, _arrogant_, _flea-ridden excuse for a wolf _that we call an Alpha had _better _be able to explain himself!" Sango panted angrily, "If I find out that he's been keeping Kagome's location secret for all this time-!" She didn't need to finish her sentence. The malice dripping from her words was warning enough.  
Running a distance behind her, Miroku simply nodded, his mouth being too full of fox-cub to form a coherent reply.  
Throwing an irritated glance back at the dark brown male, Sango shook herself violently, as if to rid herself of the irritation that clung to her pelt like thistles. "And Ayame! I thought that she liked Kagome! Why would she suddenly change her mind..?"  
Miroku made a muffled sound, which Shippo neatly translated; "Because she thinks that Kagome is her rival in love for Koga!"  
Tufted reddish-brown ears swiveled backwards and then flicked in irritation. "Bah! I never understood her obsession with him anyway-!"  
Miroku glanced at Sango affectionately, gazing at the she wolf with admiration and warmth. Shippo squirmed in his grip as Miroku's grip on the young fox slackened. "Oi! Don't let me fall!"

Snapped out of his temporary reverie, Miroku wagged his tail in affirmation and renewed his hold on the fox cub. After eyeing the older wolf in suspicion, Shippo squirmed in his grip until he was facing Sango again. "But Kagome doesn't like him!"

Sango huffed loudly. "Tell that to Ayame! Whenever the name Koga comes up, she's blind to all reason. Kind of like _someone_ else I know..." A meaningful look was shot back at Miroku, who smiled sweetly back, unabashed.

Suddenly, the dark brown male halted in his tracks, causing Shippo to swing wildly in his jaws. He sniffed the air once or twice, and motioned to Sango.

The younger she-wolf pricked her ears, and walked over to Miroku. "Did you find him..?"

Miroku sniffed again, "Yeah, I found his trail... It's leading towards the edge of our territory." Sango immediately stiffened.

"He wouldn't-!" Miroku looked at Sango in confusion for a split second, before his eyes widened in surprise. "No!"

He and Sango shared a glance for a few seconds, and then the two wolves began to run, paws tearing through the ivy that tangled around their paws. Dew-covered leaves slapped against their faces as they streaked towards the border. Finally, they stopped, chests heaving and tongues lolling out of their mouths in exhaustion.

Shippo squirmed loose from Miroku's jaws and let out a yelp as he hit the cold ground. "What was that all about?"

He was given no answer. Sango and Miroku were too busy looking at the road ahead of them with a mixture of awe and fear. Shippo bristled irritably, not used to being ignored. "Hey! What's going on!?"

Sango just shook her head and sat down on her haunches, tail wagging slowly. Miroku laughed quietly; "He's really gone!"

The little fox cub tilted his head in confusion. "Who is gone?"

Sango let out a relieved laugh, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Our stupid Alpha!" Shippo stared as if she had grown an extra head. "But where's he gone?"

Sango nuzzled the little fox cub in joy, "He's gone to find Kagome!"


	14. Chapter 13

_-Ahhhh~~~ Thanks so much for the reviews and the overall views on the latest chapter *dies happy*. I'd love to hear your ideas on what I should do with the story and how it should turn out. Reviews are like my food! The more you feed me, the more I write! This chapter was reeally hard to write since my computer crashed. I could never stand disappointing my fans so I wrote most of this chapter on my phone :) ~~~-_

Song of Change Chapter 13: Reunion

Worn pads scraped against the harsh asphalt as the black wolf trudged onwards along the dark, empty road. She sniffed the air despairingly and swung her muzzle towards the wind, hoping to catch some familiar scent of home. She was greeted with the harsh, eye watering stench of the road. She coughed violently as her eyes watered up, but she kept going, nearly swaying on her paws.

She was tired to the point that she hardly noticed the car until it was almost upon her. Letting out a yelp of surprise, Kagome forced her tired limbs to respond as she flung herself toward the edge of the road. Appreciative shouts came from within the vehicle as it sped by, and Kagome fled into the safety of the forest before the car decided to come back.

Deciding that now was as good of a time for a rest as any, Kagome flopped down onto some ferns, her chest heaving. It had been nearly four days since she had left the Shikon Mountains, the forest, and... Inuyasha's pack.

She hated to admit it, but she missed them. She missed Sango and her warm, comforting friendship. She missed Miroku with his playful, perverted antics, she even missed the strangely aggressive Ayame. Her heart ached when she thought of little Shippo without his parents, and...

Kagome sighed loudly and rolled over. "_No_. There is _no way_ in all the seven hells that I miss _him... _."

But she did. She did miss him. She missed Inuyasha. Stupid, selfish bastard that he was. She missed his snarky sense of humor, his pessimism, and his undying loyalty to his pack. Kagome snorted. There was no way that he would _ever _find out about this. _Ever_. And if he did? Well, that would be a convenient time to crawl under a rock and never be seen again.

* * *

"_Back off_! I'm trying to _walk _here!"

The car predictably paid no attention and breezed past the irate white wolf who continued to spew insults as it drove by.

After nearly being buffeted off of his paws by a large delivery truck, Inuyasha was a _heartbeat _away from turning back and giving up. "There is _no reason_ why I should do this! None at all! Why should _I care_ if she's gone..?"

Despite his protests, his brain began lining up reasons why he _should_ care.

1) Sango would tear him to shreds, 2) He couldn't _stand_ Shippo's whining anymore, 3) Koga would be insanely smug when he found out that Kagome fled his pack, and 4) In a dark, dusty, secret crevice of his heart, he missed her.

It was just so... _Boring_ without her around... It was no fun arguing with Miroku, because he always had logical answers that snarky comebacks had no effect on, Sango would just snap at him, and Ayame probably didn't know that he existed. Kagome was fun to be around, Inuyasha _loved _to mess with her; her reactions were priceless!

Pushing the sentimentality to the back of his brain for later (never) use, Inuyasha checked the road behind him again, and resumed his slow, steady lope, pausing every now and then to give the air a good sniff.

* * *

When Kagome finally found her way home, she had nearly fallen into the fence. She was tired to the point that anything in front of her barely registered as anything but a blurry mix, and a fence, well, it didn't register at all. When she crashed into the chain-link fence, her body was too worn to do anything other than slump tiredly to the ground. Her vision slowly fading to black as she fell asleep.

* * *

When she woke up, she was greeted by the wet tongue of a wolf. Instinct kicked in and she backpedaled into a rock wall.

"Inuyasha! Back off! What the-!?" Her eyes widened as she took in the wolf in front of her.

"Hey sis!" The wolf smiled at her, said tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Kagome stared at her brother for a split second before tackling him to the ground. "Souta! Oh, you don't know how much I _missed _you! You have _no _idea how weird the past two weeks have been!"

Souta tried (and failed) to squirm out from under his packmate. "_Oof_! Get _off _me sis! You're heavy!"

Kagome sent her brother a reproachful glare, "I am _not _heavy! I'm thinner than ever and you know it! You can see my ribs! _Look_!"

She circled around several times to prove her point, finally sitting down with an offended huff. Souta simply laughed at her, tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Falling back into her normal protective/snobby/loving older-sister role, Kagome examined Souta quizzically, head tilting slightly to the side. He hadn't changed much since she had left, but he had grown _some_.

His ruffled dark-brown fur was still puppy-soft, the white patch on his chest looking softer than powdered snow. Despite his puppy-fluff, sinewy muscle was just starting to build up, causing his legs to seem long, awkward and gangly.

"Souta, if your legs get any longer, people are gonna start mistaking you for a giant, hairy spider."

Said wolf cringed at the proffered mental image. "Kami sis, that was something I didn't need to see."

Kagome merely shrugged, "You've gotta hear it from somebody..."

Souta waggled his ears. "Speaking of some bodies, why'd you think I was this... Inuyasha guy...? You know him well I

presume...?"

Well _shit_. So much for ignoring the existence of a certain bratty wolf. "He's... Ah, an... Acquaintance."

Souta waggled his ears suggestively, " A _one-night _acquaintance maybe...? Damn, sis, I always knew that you didn't like the whole arranged-pairing thing but _wow._"

If Kagome had been embarrassed before, now she was positively mortified. "Oh _kami, _Souta _no. Nonononono! Me_ and... That arrogant little-! Never. _No."_

Souta twizzled an unconcerned ear, "It sounds like you know him well," Here Kagome had to refrain from strangling her little brother, "did you meet him while you were gone...?"

Deciding to ignore her urge to murder her younger sibling, Kagome launched into a detailed (and overly dramatized) explanation of her adventure.

After she finished, Souta stared at her wide eyed and slack-jawed. "Did all that _really_ happen to you sis? Even the evil creepy-rapist wolf?"

Kagome nodded sagely, "Yup! It's all true, especially about Naraku. He's just... _Eurgh_." Just thinking about the him made Kagome's fur bristle in agitation. If she never saw him again, she wouldn't complain.

After pondering her tale for several more seconds, Souta jumped to his feet, tail wagging wildly. "Anyway, enough about _you_, lets eat! The people just dropped off a deer, and it's _fresh!_"

At the mention of food, Kagome's stomach rumbled hopefully, making Kagome wince. She hadn't eaten since before she had run away from Inuyasha at the cliffsides, and at this point, any food would be welcome.

"Thank _kami. _I'm starving!"

"Well hurry up then! If you don't get a move on, there won't be any food_ left_!" Souta grinned at her toothily, and raced out of the den, tail flagging behind him.

After rolling her eyes at her brother, Kagome yawned and stretched leisurely, giving each of her sore limbs a shake for good measure before heading out of the den;

The park where Kagome's pack lived was situated at the outskirts of a small town, on a large, rocky mountain with more pine-needles than grass. The park itself was small, and attracted little attention, save for the odd college student needing to do a report on the breeding and relocation of forest wildlife. There were several other species of animals other than wolves residing in the park such as bears, badgers, skunks, moose, foxes and deer. It was the only home Kagome had known since puphood, and it was warm, comforting, familiar and cramped.

Ever since she had been relocated to the forest, there had been no boundaries to how far Kagome could go. Now, whenever she turned a corner, it seemed as if there was always a fence to meet her and block her passage. It had been comforting before, to know that there were boundaries to the world, but now it was unsettling. Row after row of chain link fences loomed above her, making her feel trapped. It was _not_ a comfortable experience.

Shaking off the unsettling thoughts that clung to her like a shadow, Kagome turned her attention towards the trees, and followed her brother.

* * *

Several reports had been been aired on the radio after Inuyasha had made the mistake of taking the shortcut through town instead of following his original forest path, and after nearly being shot by the local ranger, it was a mistake he did not plan to repeat. The town had been so _confusing_! There were two-leggers everywhere, and more of their metal... _things_ spewing up fumes and exhaust than Inuyasha had ever seen before.

At first, people had thought he was a stray dog(a very offensive thing to think, in his opinion), but then as more and more people identified him as a wolf, the rumor spread. Soon, people were stopping on the roads and popping their heads out of windows to catch a glimpse of the white wolf.

But then some complete _moron_ had the bright idea to call in the park rangers to subdue the 'rabid wolf' that was 'rampaging' in the city.

Things had rapidly gone downhill from there.

Now exhausted, bedraggled and just put upon in general, Inuyasha stood in front of the wildlife park where Kagome's scent had led him. He paused at the entrance, mentally weighing his options

Having had his fill of human structures for the day, the white wolf slunk around the corner, searching the fence for any faults or chinks in the seemingly-flawless chain linked fence.

"Kami damn her! Couldn't she pick a better place to live?" Inuyasha eyed the fence in mistrust and snorted. "Females. I'll never understand them."

* * *

Kagome stared at the deer, and the deer stared back, its dead _frozen_ eyes staring at her. Boring holes into her _soul_. Her mother shot her a confused look, and Kagome gave her a cheesy smile in return, and returned her attention to the deer.

It was _frozen stiff!_ How was she supposed to eat it? Souta looked up from where he was gnawing on an icy leg, and frowned at her. "Vhat afh youh whatimng fuh? Driigh imn!"

She shot her brother an exasperated glare and sat down in front of the carcass, watching as it slowly defrosted and dripped onto the ground. _Ew_. Since when had she been a picky eater? Normally, she would have dug into the deer, like a furry... Frozen... Melting... That wasn't helping. After hunting with Inuyasha's pack, the only thing that seemed edible was something fresh, warm and definitely _not_ frozen.

Her mother looked at her in confusion, "Is something wrong honey? You haven't touched your dinner, and I know you must be _starving_."

Shooting the deer another glance, Kagome stuck out her tongue. "Nnnoo, I think I... Uh... Suddenly lost my appetite. I think my long walk has uh... Made me tired." She gave an unconvincing yawn and grinned again, slowly edging towards the path that led to the den.

She bumped into something furry, warm and very, _very_ familiar.

Oh _shit_.


	15. Chapter 14

_-Wow. It's been a while! With my computer crashed and my phone gone, I've had to make do with a few snippets of school computer access at a time! Thank you to all of my reviewers and viewers for putting up with my nonsense for this long :) I owe you guys big time~-Shadow-_

**Song of Change Chapter 14**

_Shooting the deer another glance, Kagome stuck out her tongue. "Nnnoo, I think I... Uh... Suddenly lost my appetite. I think my long walk has uh... Made me tired." She gave an unconvincing yawn and grinned again, slowly edging towards the path that led to the den._

_She bumped into something furry, warm and very, very familiar._

Inuyasha stared down at Kagome as she slowly turned to face him, her expression a mix of disbelief, anger and confusion. He glared at her as she scrambled backwards and nearly tripped over a defrosting (eww) deer.

"Why are _you_ here?!"

He gawked at her. "Why am _I_ here?! Why am _I here?! _I'm here to drag your sorry ass back to where it belongs!"

She glared at him, her ears flattening against her head. "I'm not going anywhere! Ibelong _here._ With _my _birth pack. And what's with the sudden change of heart? I thought you were _happy _to see me go!" Despite her fierce expression, trickles of hurt and accusation leaked into her voice.

Inuyasha snorted, "_I was_, but other _certain _individuals weren't, and I got sick of receiving daily death threats from Sango."

That was apparently the worst thing he could have said. She turned her back to him, her ears flat against her skull. "Tell Sango that I'm fine, but I'm not coming back."

He growled angrily at her. "You're coming back."

She stuck her tongue out at him and planted herself on the ground. "No I'm _not_."

This was not good. Letting his temper get away with him was not a good idea. Especially if he wanted to convince her to come back with him willingly. Shit. Time to swallow his pride and man up.

He sighed in exasperation and lowered his tail. "I'm sorry."

Silence fell over the enclosure. Kagome froze in her tracks, and then whirled around to face him, eyes wide with shock. "W-what?!"

Inuyasha glared at her, his ears burning in embarrassment. "I said I'm sorry! I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, and I... I want you to come home. There! I said it, happy now?"

She was dumbstruck, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. She shook her head violently, as if to shake away her surprise. "W-wait a second. You... You actually said sorry?"

He gave her the death glare. "Ye-_sss_. And I hate apologizing, " here he gave her a pointed glance, "So I suggest that you come back before you make me say it again, cuz' I _really_ don't want to be ripped to shreds by Sango." And it was true. Mostly. He did hate apologizing, but there was no way in all the seven hells that he would admit that he really actually_ did _miss her. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

She eyed him in suspicion, brown eyes narrowing slightly. "So... So you actually want me to come back?"

Inuyasha sighed in exasperation. "_Nnno_ooo. I just _love_ to trek miles away from my territory, risk death at the hand of automobiles and crazed two-leggers and dig under a chain link fence for fun. How much denser could you get?! Of _course_ I want you to come back."

She wagged her tail at him, and took a tentative step closer. "So I'm forgiven for yelling at you and keeping you from hurting Koga?"

Wait. So _that's_ why he was mad at her! Back to business. "Definitely not. But the yelling part, that I can forgive." His heart most certainly did _not_ constrict at the thought of her not going back with him. He was just... mad at her for leaving. Right. "If you come back, that is."

Before she could respond, and old, dusty wolf with an exaggerated amount of whiskers appeared from behind Kagome, startling the young she-wolf into a fight-or-flight position. "No! She's not leaving! Not with you!"

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows (as much as was wolfily possible) and stared down the elderly canine. "And _why_ not...?"

The old wolf was unamused. "Because _I_ say so. And you don't belong here! Leave before I _make_ you leave!" He bared his teeth, the display spectacularly ruined by his missing right canine.

The white wolf laughed at him, and turned to Kagome. "I missed the introductions, who's the hairball?"

Kagome glared at him. "That _hairball_ is my grandpa. If you want to earn any extra points with me, I suggest you start being nice."

Inuyasha grinned widely. "But it's part of my charm..!" He received a deadpan stare in response.

He sighed loudly. "Or not. Anyway, family introductions. The hair-er... Your grandpa I know," He nodded once in the general direction of the bristling elderly wolf, "And I'm guessing that the older clone of you over there is your mother... And the other one is-sss..."

Kagome looked at him quizzically, "Souta. The 'other one' is Souta." Inuyasha eyed the small wolf as Kagome was speaking.

Dark brown fur, white patch on his chest, warm brown eyes... It took him awhile, but slowly but surely Inuyasha figured it out. Or thought he did "He-He's your _son_?!"

As he voiced his brilliant deduction, Souta gagged and Kagome nearly fell over backwards. She scrambled to her feet again, and glared at him. "N_oo_! He's my _brother_ you _moron_! How could you even _think _that? He's my little brother and blah _blah_ family blah _blah _blah-_..."_

Feeling properly chastised, Inuyasha stuck his tongue out at her and rose to his paws. "Alright, I get it! Brother _not_ son. Can we go now? Ple-_eease_?" He gave Kagome a pitiful look, tail wagging hopefully.

She shot him a dirty look and flicked her tail in irritation. "Yes, no... _Maybe_...? I'm honestly not sure."

With an aggrieved sigh, Inuyasha flopped back down onto his haunches. At least she was considering it, and that was a good sign. Now all he had to do was wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.

Finally as the sun began to rise, his patience ran out. "Kagome! If you're gonna leave, we have to leave _now_. I've been gone for... Too long, and I need to get back. If I don't, who knows what kind of shit Naraku will pull? You need to decide. Stay or go."

She froze, her tail drooping and her ears down. "So it's either stay or go..?" She looked up at him in misery, "So if I go, can I ever come back?"

Part of him wanted to say no, that she belonged with _him _and _his_ pack, but before he could voice his opinion, his mouth started blabbing of its own accord; "Of course you can come back you idiot! I'm not gonna keep you from seeing your family. You can come back whenever. As long as you clear it up with me first, of course."

e

She perked up immediately, tail starting to wag rapidly as she grinned. Much to his surprise, Inuyasha found himself grinning back at her, his tongue lolling out in a happy smile. No. Not smile. Alpha males didn't smile. They _smirked_. Right.

After another brilliant grin in his general direction, Kagome turned to her family to make her goodbyes. She nuzzled up against her mother, rubbing her face in the soft black fur. Feeling rather left out, Inuyasha huffed in irritation and turned towards Souta. "So, squirt, how long have you guys been here anyway?"

The young wolf eyed him in confusion, tilting his head to the side. "_Um_... Well, forever, I guess... Mom and gramps were born here, and none of us have ever been outside. Except for Kagome, that is..."

Inuyasha was dumbstruck. "Y-you've never been outside of this... This _cage_?! How can you _stand_ it in here?"

Souta twizzled an unconcerned ear. "Never knew anything different. This is home, we get free food, shelter and fresh air here. What more could we want?"

"W-what more could you want?" Inuyasha spluttered, "You could want _freedom_! _Your own_ territory!_ Living_ food!"

Souta looked at him in concern as the white wolf flailed around. "Calm down! We're _happy_ here! We don't have to worry about enemies, starvation or getting lost! We're _safe _here, and we _like it_ that way."

Inuyasha snorted. "Safe. Safe's no fun. What's the fun of being cooped up in a giant _chain-link box_?"

Souta scratched at his ear enthusiastically. "There's Hojo next door, and the squirrels are kinda fun to chase, until they climb a tree..."

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow, "Who's Hojo?" Hojo. What kind of a name was _that_? It sounded like a type of mushroom. The Hojo mushroom. That fit well.

"He's the wolf in the cage next to ours. I think he has a thing for sis, the way he keeps making puppy eyes at her through the fence." Souta smirked at the prospect of his bratty sister having a suitor. The thought seemed to amuse him.

It didn't amuse Inuyasha. "He fancies her?! A _mushroom_ thinks he has a chance with Kagome?!"

The young wolf backed away, somewhat frightened by Inuyasha's sudden vehemence. "M-mushroom?! Anyway, sis acts like he doesn't exist!"

Inuyasha calmed down. "Oh," that made sense. If Kagome didn't like Kouga (hopefully) why would she like this Hojo mushroom? "Well... That's..." Reassuring. He didn't say it, but it was nice to hear.

He stretched and inclined his head in the general direction of Kagome. "Hey. Family time's over. Let's move."

Kagome shot him a dirty look and gave her brother a quick lick over the ears, causing the younger wolf to splutter in protest. "Euu sis! Gross!"

She looked back at her family one last time, gave herself a good shake, and strode up to Inuyasha. "Let's go."


	16. Chapter 15

-_Finals. Oh god finals. And senior pranks. My brain is dying. Argh. Oh! If you like Merthur, I've posted a poll on my profile. Vote please~ (story beginning can be found on Archiveofourown under 1Black_Dragon-_

(note) _Oh. Yeah. I'll be on hiatus for a while since school is ending, and I'll be in Sweden. Internet will be... Limited and I'll try to update as much as I can. So please, try to live without me for seven weeks ;) (who am I kidding lol)_

* * *

Song of Change chapter 15

_She looked back at her family one last time, gave herself a good shake, and strode up to Inuyasha. "Let's go."_

* * *

It took them a while to lose sight of the reserve, seeing as there was only one main road leading up to the park, but with Inuyasha's impatience and Kagome's newfound resolve, they made relatively good time.

After three hours or so of walking on a seemingly endless blacktop road, Kagome stretched and gave a massive yawn.

"Inuyasha, m'tired..." The white wolf paused, his fur nearly glowing in the faint moonlight, "Why? You just rested like... a few... Hours ago... Or something..?"

She nodded tiredly, "Yeah, I did, but... Y'know, I didn't sleep at all on the way home..." She leaned in to Inuyasha, staggering slightly.

His heart most certainly _did not _speed up when she pressed up against him. He nudged her off gently, making sure that she could stand on her own four paws. "Ahh. You're such a_ pain_. Fine. Let's get off the road and find somewhere decent to sleep."

She looked up at him, eyes muddled with exhaustion. "Why can't we sleep here? The road is nice. It's... Comfy."

Inuyasha sighed. "Wow. Someone's loopy when tired. And to answer your question, no. We _can not_ sleep on the road. Even if _you're _OK with it, I have no intention to become roadkill _anytime_ soon. So there." It felt weird, arguing with her and receiving no biting comeback in return. _Huh_.

Kagome sighed, "Fine, but hurry up."

Inuyasha eyed her in interest, "If you think I'm dragging you off the road, you're wrong. You're walking there on _your own_ four feet."

* * *

He actually did end up semi-dragging her off the road after she more-or-less fell asleep on the pavement. After pushing her safely into the shelter of the forest, Inuyasha was starting to get pretty tired himself.

He would have preferred a den of sorts, but at this rate, a little clearing in a patch of bushes would have to do.

With a tired groan, he settled himself next to Kagome, breathing in her comforting scent. Maybe being out here with her wasn't so bad after all... Right?

* * *

When Kagome woke up, she was greeted with a face full of soft, white fur. She sprang to her feet with a startled yelp, "Inuyasha! _Whaa_-?"

This wasn't the den. It wasn't the road, and it most certainly wasn't the reserve. She turned around, slowly calming down as Inuyasha began to rouse. She prodded him with a paw.

"Oi, you." He opened a bleary eye, blinking rapidly, "It's time to get up. Beauty sleep time is over."

With a groan he rolled over. "The sun is too bright. Turn it off..." He snuggled into a tight ball of fluff again, and fell asleep.

Kagome would have none of it. Pushing him with her muzzle, she continued to prod him until he rolled over with a resigned groan.

"N_yeh_."

She frowned. "It's time to get up. D'ya want to get back to the pack or not?"

He groaned again. "Mmmmn_yeah_. But's too _early _to do anything... Lemme' sleep..."

Kagome was being very patient with him, but enough was enough. After a sharp nip to the tail, Inuyasha was up and kicking. Literally.

"Ow! You just _nailed_ me _in the face_ with your hind paw!"

Unabashed, Inuyasha scratched behind his ear. "Yeah, well that's what you get for biting me."

With a stormy glower in his general direction, Kagome shook herself and started walking towards the road.

Poking his head out of the bushes, Inuyasha looked after her. "You're going the wrong way."

She paused. "Well which way is the right way?"

Inuyasha smirked. "The way that you're not going." He snickered to himself as Kagome fumed. "Well genius, I want to go home. So hurry up and find the right way back!"

He stretched leisurely, "In a minute... Just lemme' wake up first..." After a few minutes, he yawned widely and stepped into the forest, sniffing the ground intently. _Whoops_. This did not bode well for his mental and physical health.

"I lost the trail."

The response he received cleared all the birds from the neighboring trees for miles. "You-You did _what?!_"

He sighed, "I lost the trail! It must have rained last night or something, the trail is gone."

If looks could kill, he'd have been dead ages ago. Kagome glared at him. "I hate you. I hope you know that."

Inuyasha twizzled an ear. "Yeah. You've told me. _Several_ times. Can we get a move on now? I'm sick of this forest. The sooner we get home, the better."

With a put upon sigh, Kagome lowered her tail and began to follow the white wolf.

* * *

Many hours and complaints later found them at a road. Inuyasha was pretty sure that is was the right one, but to him, all roads looked very much the same. The pair began to walk, exchanging insults and jibes as they trotted towards (hopefully) the Shikon mountains.

* * *

So when a young, bedraggled German Shepherd nearly plowed into them two hours later, the distraction was a welcome one. She was thin and dripping wet, her long black fur tangled and in mats.

At first, the dog was grateful, thanking the two as if they were her saviours. Then, when she caught sight of Inuyasha and his golden eyes, she went into a frenzy, snapping at him and calling him a demon.

After much prodding from Kagome, the young dog calmed down enough to tell them that her name was Nazuna, and that she was running from spiders.

"Sp-spiders?" Inuyasha was nearly keeling over with laughter. "You came all this way because of spiders?"

Nazuna glared at him. "_Yes_. _Spiders_. My grandpa and I are strays, so we travel around without stopping much. But we found an abandoned den, and we've been staying there ever since. Just a few days ago, it became overrun by spiders."

Inuyasha tilted his head quizzically, "I still don't see the problem with that. What can a few spiders do to a dog your size?"

Kagome shoved him, "_Think_, Inuyasha. I know that it's hard for you, but _think_! Why would a _dog_ run from _spiders_? And don't try to wheedle it out of me, you have to figure it out on your own."

He glared at her, but complied. A few moments later, his ears pricked up. "Poison! Nazuna, did those spiders happen to be poisonous by any chance?"

The German Shepherd nodded slowly. "Yes, they were. We saw them trapping rabbits in their webs. Normally, we wouldn't have minded, but then we began seeing foxes and other things mixed up too. It's only a matter of time until they go after me and my grandpa. You have to help us! _Please!_"

Kagome shrugged, "We might as well, and she needs our help Inuyasha..."

He eyed her in apprehension. "Kagome. If these things are poisonous enough to drop a full grown fox, think about what it'll do to us. And Kami knows how many of these things might be lurking in that forest now."

She put her ears back, and Inuyasha gave a resigned sigh. "Fine. I can tell that you're not going anywhere until we've at least tried to help. Alright runt, take us to the spiders. And be _quick_ about it! We've got a schedule to follow!"


End file.
